David Geffen School of Drama 2021-22 Alumni Magazine by David Geffen School of Drama at Yale

DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE

ANNUAL MAGAZINE

James Bundy ’95 Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean/Artistic Director Florie Seery Associate Dean/Managing Director Chantal Rodriguez Associate Dean Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. Assistant Dean/General Manager Deborah S. Berman Editor/Director of Development and Alumni Affairs david geffen school of drama at yale board of advisors John Beinecke YC ’69 Chair Jeremy Smith ’76 Vice Chair Nina Adams MS ’69, NUR ’77

David Marshall Grant ’78

Amy Aquino ’86

David Alan Grier ’81

Rudy Aragon LAW ’79

Sally Horchow YC ’92

John Badham ’63, YC ’61

Ellen Iseman YC ’76

Pun Bandhu ’01

David Johnson YC ’78

Sonja Berggren Special Research Fellow ’13

Rolin Jones ’04

Frances Black ’09

Cathy MacNeil-Hollinger ’86

Carmine Boccuzzi YC ’90, LAW ’94 Lynne Bolton Clare Brinkley Sterling Brinkley, Jr. YC ’74 Kate Burton ’82 James Chen ’08 Lois Chiles Patricia Clarkson ’85 Edgar (Trip) Cullman III ’02, YC ’97

Sarah Long ’92, YC ’85 Brian Mann ’79 Drew McCoy David Milch YC ’66 Jennifer Harrison Newman ’11 Carol Ostrow ’80 Tracy Chutorian Semler YC ’86 Tony Shalhoub ’80 Michael Sheehan ’76 Anna Deavere Smith HON ’14 Andrew Tisdale

Michael David ’68

Edward Trach ’58

Scott Delman YC ’82

Esme Usdan YC ’77

Michael Diamond ’90

Courtney B. Vance ’86

Polly Draper ’80, YC ’77

Donald R. Ware YC ’71

Charles S. (Roc) Dutton ’83

Shana C. Waterman YC ’94, LAW ’00

Sasha Emerson ’84 Lily Fan YC ’01, LAW ’04 Terry Fitzpatrick ’83 Marc Flanagan ’70 Anita Pamintuan Fusco YC ’90

Henry Winkler ’70 Amanda Wallace Woods ’03

DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE

ANNUAL MAGAZINE

Dean’s Letter Dear Alumni, Greetings from David Geffen School of Drama. It’s an honor to share the 2022 Annual Magazine with you. I am grateful for the brilliance of our editorial team, led by Deborah Berman and Catherine Sheehy, and the kindness of so many alumni who are themselves contributors. Their efforts illuminate the wide-ranging creativity of our faculty and of so many of you who attended and graduated from Yale School of Drama and who are now members of the Geffen School alumni body. Your history here in New Haven and around the world, and the artistic and managerial gifts that you shared as theater makers—and in many other professional spheres—are a source of inspiration to me personally, and to so many of your colleagues, as well as to students who are still coming to Yale to grow in artistry and craft. Thanks to the generosity of the David Geffen Foundation, all of those students will attend DGSD tuition-free. The reduction of term bills to zero has been followed by a 2022 admission cycle in which applications to the School rose 29%. Moreover, the meaningful ongoing generosity of alumni and friends will make it possible for us to significantly increase the living stipends of students with demonstrated need beginning in the fall of this year. Our graduating students are not all debt-free, but that is a goal now visible from here. Would we could see the future even more clearly. Well into the third year of a global pandemic, in the still-early stages of our vital national racial reckoning and the fieldwide development of anti-racist practice, and facing uncertain prospects of war at a scale not seen in almost 80 years, it is humbling to reflect on how such powerful forces of change will reshape the American theater and particularly training here at Yale. Our bet is on staying true to our mission: to train and advance leaders in every theatrical discipline, making art to inspire joy, empathy, and understanding in the world. As we do so, to hold ourselves accountable for core values—artistry, belonging, collaboration, and discovery—is a realtime experiment requiring multi-generational learning, not simply the transmission of crystalline knowledge from elder to younger people. I am grateful every day to be working with faculty, staff, students, and interns who are remarkable artists and managers: I see their talent, and also their vulnerability, as they acknowledge what they don’t know and interrogate their biases. There is much still to be learned and created, in community, onstage and off. By way of example, my own experience of growth is leading me to think of excellence in terms of lived experience rather than objective standards; of professionalism as accountability for our impact on others; and of attention—to each other, and to the stories we tell—as both the smallest and the most important component of discourse, in the classroom, rehearsal hall, or theater. May this magazine, and the extraordinary school whose graduates it represents, repay your attention by inspiring joy, empathy, and understanding in you, as it has done for me. Filled as they are with curiosity about, and respect for, the lives you lead, these pages brim with multiple legacies of our past, the vital differences and inventions of our present, and hopes for our future. No other document so readily encompasses our community and its reach, and none reminds me more of why I love coming to work every day. Have a great read! Sincerely,

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Contents

Features 18 DGSD Alumni: The Faces of the New Comic Universe By Alex Vermillion ’20, DFA Cand.

22 Another Chapter in the Life of a Storyteller By Chad Kinsman ’18

26 Forgiveness and Healing: Releasing Ni Mi Madre By Nahuel Telleria ’16, DFA ’21

30 Real to Reel: On Set with Adam Stockhausen By Mark Blankenship ’05

22 On the Cover (clock wise, top right) Brian Tyree Henry ’07, Abubakr Ali ’19, Alex Vermillion ’20, DFA cand., Juliana Canfield ’17, YC ’14, James Chen ’08, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa ’03. Illustrations by Lee Sullivan.

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Editor’s Letter After so much time spent online and in isolation, we are back. We are back in classes, back to work, and back on stage and in our seats at the theater. Perhaps, we are back to the future—as so many things, and we along with them, have been changed by the events of the recent past. We are now the David Geffen School of Drama, grateful recipient of a generous endowment that enables us to offer a tuition-free education to our students. We are stronger in our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion which is evident in the classroom, the office, and on the stage. I am excited to share with you the latest edition of the Annual Magazine. In these pages, it is our pleasure to tell you the stories of students and alumni who are breaking new ground, questioning accepted norms, and using their talents and skills to achieve bold and inspirational outcomes. These include Maulik Pancholy ’03, who is challenging stereotypes on the stage and in children’s literature, Arturo Luís Soria ’19, whose play Ni Mi Madre is an emotional vehicle for healing, Alex Vermillion ’20, DFA cand., who shines a light on representation in the comic book genre in film, and production designer Adam Stockhausen ’99, whose brilliant work continues to amaze. While change is necessary, transition can be bittersweet. And so, we say farewell to beloved colleagues who, after long and distinguished careers, are retiring from the School: Alan Hendrickson ’83 (Faculty), Jennifer Tipton (Faculty), and Ellen Lange (Staff ). Their contributions are manifold, and it is hard to imagine the School of Drama without them. As always, I encourage you to stay connected. Write, email, and post online. Our alumni are a part of our past and our future!

DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE ANNUAL MAGAZINE 2021-22, Vol. LXVI editorial staff Deborah S. Berman editor Catherine Sheehy ’92, DFA ’99 (Faculty) associate editor Casey Grambo (Staff) managing editor Leonard Sorcher contributing editor Susan Clark (Staff) contributing editor contributors Mark Blankenship ’05 Kate Burton ’82 Jiyoun “Jiji” Chang ’08 Jason Gray ’23, SOM ’23 David Keith ’82 Chad Kinsman ’18 Neil Mulligan ’01 (Faculty) Nahuel Telleria ’16, DFA ’21 Ariana Venturi ’15 Alex Vermillion ’20, DFA cand. Sophie von Haselberg ’14, YC ’08 design SML Design s-ml.org

Warmly,

Deborah S. Berman Editor Director of Development and Alumni Affairs deborah.berman@yale.edu

To make a gift to DGSD, visit www.yale. edu/givedrama.

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photo by t. charles erickson

Dear Alumni and Friends,

Contents

Departments 6

On & Off York Street

Bookshelf

Awards & Honors

Fellowships & Scholarships

Art of Giving

In Memoriam

Alumni Notes

Donors

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AVID GE FFE N S CHOOL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

The Rep Returns by Jason Gray ’23 SOM ’23 This January saw the exuberant return to producing live theater at Yale Repertory Theatre. The David Geffen School of Drama and Yale Rep community came together to bring Susan Soon He Stanton’s ’10 hilarious and poignant play, Today Is My Birthday, to life. Featuring a predominantly Asian American and BIPOC cast and creative team, this marked the first production at the Rep in nearly two years.

01 Set in the tropical climes of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, Today Is My Birthday tells the story of Emily Chang (played by Jeena Yi, also seen in GIRLS at YRT), a New York writer whose stalled career necessitates a return to her hometown. Even among a disarming cast of witty and irreverent locals, Emily must reckon with feelings of isolation and disconnection from those she loves most, as she learns what it means to build community in an increasingly siloed world. Though it was written before the COVID-19 pandemic, this play proved the perfect reflection of our uncertain times, where we’ve been called 6

upon to reexamine and reinvest in our connections to our own beloved communities. The cast, crew, and creative team of Today Is My Birthday weathered a run marked by the volatility of the Omicron variant. With safety measures in place, the show opened to joyous reception from Rep audiences. The opening night attendees were adorned with leis from Hawai‘i as they entered the theater. Additionally, for the first time in the theater’s history, the production was made available to stream on-demand for two weeks following its closing, opening the doors of access to an even larger community of theatergoers. The second production of the season is the melodious and lifeaffirming Choir Boy, written by Yale Rep’s Academy Award-winning Playwright in Residence and Chair of Playwriting, Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07, and directed by Christopher D. Betts ’22. Choir Boy centers Pharus, the gifted young choir leader at a prestigious prep school for young Black men, as he navigates questions of self-worth and sexuality in order to “sing in his own key.” The season’s final production is the wickedly subversive comedy, Between Two Knees by the acclaimed intertribal sketch comedy troupe the 1491s. The work presented this season showcases the artistry of our alumni and has been a long-awaited invitation for our audiences to come back to the theater.

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AV I D GE FFE N S CHO OL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

From Yale to Harvard Square

Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. (Assistant Dean/General Manager) was named executive director of American Repertory Theater and will begin his new position in June 2022. In his five years at Yale, Kelvin has been an inspiring teacher and mentor to theater management students and alumni. His management and oversight have helped shape curricular review, the School’s recent organizational culture assessment, respect in the workplace protocols, and the EDI Symposia Series, that have all supported and advanced our mission and core values. “Kelvin’s curiosity, aspiration for our institution, wit, and sense of fairness, have made him a treasured colleague,” said Dean James Bundy ’95. “I would be hardpressed to imagine a more exciting announcement for the American theater, because I know that Kelvin will bring potent analysis and inspiring vision to this executive leadership role at one of the nation’s flagship institutions.”

01 Jeena Yi in Today Is My Birthday by Susan Soon He Stanton ’10. Photo by Adam Tolbert. 02 Set design by Anna Grigo ’22 for Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 (Faculty). Photo courtesy of Anna Grigo.

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AVID GE FFE N S CHOOL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

A Tip of The Hat by Jiyoun “Jiji” Chang ’08

Jennifer Tipton, Professor of Lighting Design, retires after 40 years at Yale

03 03 Jennifer Tipton (Faculty). Photo by Brigitte Lacombe.

Light is a remarkable thing to work with. It is the measure of our universe… It is the mystery of our universe… so it’s very special. —Jennifer Tipton (Faculty) I saw Jennifer Tipton for the first time in the lobby at Classic Stage Company when I went to see one of Chekhov’s plays. It was right before my interview at Yale, so bumping into her made me very nervous. The friend I was with knew her well, so he loudly called out her name in the crowd. Jennifer turned and smiled.

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She looked larger than life, and one of the ceiling lights briefly highlighted her face. Her hair was simple, neat and short, and her movement was firm and controlled. Those first impressions of her confirmed what I’ve since learned about her life, her teaching, and her work.

On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AV I D GE FFE N S CHO OL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

“I am in Maine. I left NYC in late March and plan to be here until there is light onstage with an audience to see it. It is beautiful here. I seem to be content to be in the ‘now;’ when I look at tomorrow all I see is a blank wall. But then again, I am old and feel very lucky to have had a full rewarding life. I do miss looking at light. Somehow the sun doesn’t quite do the same thing, beautiful as it is.” — Jennifer Tipton writing to Blythe Pittman Winger ’05

Jennifer never lets the myriad emergencies large and small that arise during a production distract her from the big picture—the art that she is making. Her ability to remain calm and focused is amazing. In situations that would drive most of us screaming from the room, I have seen her carry on methodically and patiently, with whatever resources are available, toward a brilliant outcome. — Stephen Strawbridge ’83 (Faculty)

Jennifer’s passion for light hasn’t faded, even a little bit, since she was a dance rehearsal mistress decades ago. ‘I had to critique the dancers. I looked at the bigger picture, and it was light, and I fell in love with it. I’ve been in love with light ever since.’ She began her career as a lighting designer working with Paul Taylor and the Joffrey Ballet. Back then, producers did not want to present a full evening of dance by one choreographer because they worried that the audience would get bored. It was a challenge for both the choreographer and the lighting designer to make each piece both individual and special. Paul Taylor, however, wanted to produce entire programs featuring the work of his own company,

so Jennifer set out to make each piece unique. With the Joffrey, she learned how to light classical ballets and how to tour with a company that transported its own lighting equipment and scenery. Her famous saying, “maximize the angle and minimize the instruments” might have come from that experience. It certainly originated during the early days of her career when fewer lights were available. Jennifer preferred spending time working on cues rather than hanging and focusing lights. So, fewer lights became her practice. ‘You turn on one light and that might be all that you need.’ Jennifer began teaching at Yale School of Drama in 1981. From the very beginning, she wanted her students to understand the structures of the theaters on campus before

I remember Jennifer saying that a light can only go in one place for it to be the idea you want it to be. Not to the left or the right, but right there, in the one place it needs to be. Every time I’m making a plot, I think about that as I layout the fixtures on the pipes. Is this the place this light needs to go? — Matthew E. Adelson ’96 Jennifer taught me to examine every decision I made when it came to understanding the way light could envelop a space and be an equal part of the conversation of creating live events. It was always about the art of lighting, “Tell the audience where to look and when to look there.” — Robert Perry ’99

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AVID GE FFE N S CHOOL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

When I was applying to the program, Jennifer asked what I wanted out of it. I said I wanted to do a show where I wasn’t still cringing at moments once the show was done. She said “Oh, the cringing never goes away. We can’t help you there.” — Matt Frey ’96 Jennifer told us a story about a dancer. The choreography called for the dancer to run repeatedly in a large circle. Most dancers doing this would eventually start to run in smaller and smaller circles, but this dancer never did that. “He always runs the full circle,” she said, “and that is what I hope for you: that you always run the full circle.” To this day, I constantly ask myself if I am running the full circle. — Miriam Crowe ’06, YC ’96

their actual production assignments began. She stirred up the lighting designers’ thought processes and challenged them with different spaces, settings, ceilings, and angled walls. But first, they had to think about the plays—a list that Jennifer carefully selected: Endgame, The Front Page, The Hostage, Twelfth Night, Candida, and Uncle Vanya. The first year was devoted to teaching her way, and then she encouraged students to develop their own way from the second year on. It pleased her that she did not produce a bunch of clones. ‘I don’t really call myself a teacher. I call myself a provocateur.’ I remember one day she asked me a question, “What is so special about this play?” I think she noticed that I was just repeating my usual design ideas. Jennifer wasn’t questioning the colors I chose (whether she liked them or not), but questioned my interpretative choices. That question stuck

with me and has influenced my work ever since. Jennifer was designing until the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020. It was important to her to balance teaching and professional life as long as she could, and it was important to so many of us to see her thrive for such a long time. Jennifer has led a rewarding life, having worked with many of the great choreographers such as Jerome Robbins, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Twyla Tharp. She had always wanted to design King Lear. She got that opportunity in 2017 at the Guthrie, in a production directed by Joe Haj. “There is little left that I want to do that I haven’t done,” she says. Through her artistry and her teaching, Jennifer leaves a star in the sky that will forever twinkle in our hearts. Now her second act begins.

Snapshot Lecturer in Directing Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07 was named Associate Artistic Director of Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. “It’s impossible to overstate the contribution Ethan has made to the education of students across the School. He has been an indefatigable partner to students, their collaborators, and their faculty advisors throughout the entire arc of the director’s thesis projects,” said Liz Diamond, chair of the Directing program. Ethan is co-founder and departing artistic director of New York City’s Heartbeat Opera. Photo by Christopher Mueller for Signature Theatre.

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AV I D GE FFE N S CHO OL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

Jennifer always said, “We don’t get paid by the light, or by the cue.” Though no one could be more of a minimalist than Jennifer herself, that spirit of minimalism is formative for all her students. It reminds me always to question the desire for more and to pursue clarity and articulation. When in doubt, start taking things away, or start from scratch. That’s never led me astray. — Yi Zhao ’12

Les Dickert ’97 and I had just completed the ‘rep plot for a touring ballet company’ assignment. Les got his plot returned to him with a red ink note saying, “This plot is immoral and unethical.” Of course, he and I laughed. Jennifer turned to me and said, “Laugh all you want, yours was merely reprehensible.” It was an excellent lesson that stuck with me throughout my career. A light plot for a small, traveling dance company must be sustainable and fit into the parameters of the tour in order to be successful. — Susan Hamburger ’97

I had just graduated from the Drama School and was assisting Jennifer on a show. She asked me to write down the names of each staff member and each electrician, and she told me how important it is to know all their names. When we looked through her Paul Taylor archives, she had written down how to count in Japanese for a tour in Japan. As designers, we are all guests in different people’s houses, and every time I arrive at a new theater, I remember the importance of respecting people and their traditions. — Elizabeth Mak ’16

Snapshot In 2014, news of the Flint, Michigan, water crisis started to make headlines. While a student at the Drama School, Josh Wilder ’18 began working on a play in response to this issue. Eight years later, Wrong River had its premiere at Flint Repertory Theatre where it garnered critical acclaim. (right) Nikyla Boxley in Wrong River by Josh Wilder ’18 at Flint Repertory Theatre. Photo by Mike Naddeo.

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AVID GE FFE N S CHOOL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

There Can Only “B1” Alan Hendrickson by Neil Mulligan ’01 (Faculty) In 1974, Alan Hendrickson ’83 (Faculty), fresh out of Bates College with a physics degree, applied to the Drama School and didn’t get in. Roughly 400 TD&P alumni can thank his being a Connecticut kid for the fact that he didn’t take his talents elsewhere, otherwise who knows where any of us might be today? After working calls at Hartford Stage, a local dinner theater, and summer stock in Maine, he successfully reapplied in 1976, and the future of stage machinery was changed forever. By the end of his second year, Alan was asked by the then-chair, John Hood ’61 (Former Faculty), to develop and teach a physics class. This year marked his 43rd iteration of that class—The Physics of Stage Machinery. After graduation, Alan joined the full-time faculty and soon was asked to succeed George Izenour HON ’61 (Former Faculty) as Electro-

mechanical Lab Supervisor—a position originated by Izenour in the late 1930s. The lab was in the basement of 205 Park Street, in an old squash court split vertically in two. The space had 6' 2" ceilings, so Alan, coming in at 6' 4", literally couldn’t stand up straight in his workspace, though he did remove the covers from the fluorescent lights to gain a little extra head room. His ability to thrive under such conditions is a testament to his extreme adaptability and patience. These same qualities make him invaluable as a teacher and mentor. Throughout his career, Alan’s practice has evolved alongside (and more often ahead of) the industry at large—from walking punch cards up to the main frame computer on Science Hill to developing some of the first motion controllers used on Broadway, from designing the machinery for Pride Rock for

Snapshot Skylight Theatre Company named Armando Huipe ’19 as executive director in January 2022. The company develops and produces new work in Los Angeles.

Snapshot On November 13, 2021, Jonathan Majors ’16 hosted Saturday Night Live. Jonathan joins a short list of Drama School alumni hosts including Liev Schreiber ’92, Sigourney Weaver ’74, Paul Giamatti ’94, YC ’89, and David Alan Grier ’81. Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC.

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AV I D GE FFE N S CHO OL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

Disney’s The Lion King to a thousand other things, big and small. While the equation Pmax = F x Vmax is as true today as it was in 1978, so much else has changed, and much of that change has been driven because Alan was always pushing boundaries and showing his students what is possible. Many of those students have gone on to develop the next iteration of

In the days before everyone used email regularly, we referred to the phone in the back of B1 as 1-800-ASK-ALAN. stage machinery and automation throughout the world. In the early 1980s, Alan moved his lab from one basement to another, and B1 was born. Non-TD&P alumni may recall B1 as the room where ‘Beers’ took place on Friday nights, but TD&P students will remember it as the room where just about everything else happened, too: classes, production work, study hall, lunch, dinner (and often breakfast), drinking, and dancing. But most importantly, it was the place to go to ask Alan questions. B1 is his true headquarters. Technically, he has an office, but it amounts to little more than a desk and shelves piled haphazardly with books and papers that only he can find. There is no chair. In the mornings he teaches from the front of the room—six classes a year for a career total of more than 250. Certainly, a record for the Drama School. Of those six classes, only three are required for TD&P, but virtually everyone takes them all. If you ask a production manage-

04 ment student why they’re enrolled in a nonrequired class on hydraulics or machine design, the answer is always some version of, “Because, well—Alan.” In the afternoons he moves to the end of the table at the back of the room to work on his own projects: researching, reading, writing, drafting, tinkering—always with one ear tuned to the room, ready to advise. Conservatively, he’s held over 25,000 office hours at that table (which may be a record in all of academia). All of us have stories of how Alan has helped

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04 Alan Hendrickson ’83 (Faculty) and Elena Tilli ’21. Photo by Joan Marcus.

On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AVID GE FFE N S CHOOL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

05 05 Chimmy Anne Gunn ’19, Austin Byrd ’19, and Kirk Keen ’19 look on as Alan Hendrickson shares illustrated folios of the Grand Théâtre of Bordeaux in Paris, designed by Victor Louis. The book was published in 1782. Photo by Yaro Yarashevich ’20.

us, whether we were asking for it or not. Here’s one: Two students return to B1 after a design presentation. The designer has asked for a very steep pile of sand in the center of the space and the students are debating how best to accomplish this. One student asks the other, “Isn’t there a limit to how steeply you can pile sand before it doesn’t hold?” The other student wasn’t sure. Then from the back of the room came a voice: “What you’re looking for is the angle of repose, which for dry sand is 34 degrees.” As was often the case, no one had even realized that Alan was listening.

Alan’s encyclopedic knowledge is legendary, but it’s hard for me to do justice to the way in which he shares this knowledge. He meets students where they are. He offers ideas in a way that students can take as their own. He erases stress with humor. He champions curiosity. He doesn’t undercut or overbear. He quietly pushes students to think and reach beyond their comfort zones. He’s there when you need him. When I was a student, in the days before everyone used email regularly, we referred to the phone in the back of B1 as 1-800-ASKALAN. It would often ring in the afternoons after classes were finished for the day; on the other end were former students looking for assistance or confirmation: Was the motor they selected powerful enough, or would the gear ratio provide the needed torque, etc., etc. These calls came from regional theater technical directors, college TD’s and just as often from commercial shops. Alan always picked up. He would answer questions, work out the math, research parts, and offer suggestions and alternatives. This meant so much to us as students—just as we knew Ben Sammler ’74 (Faculty Emeritus) would be there for job placement and career advice, Alan would be there to get us out of a bind. In later years, the phone gave way to email, but Alan continued to respond to questions from afar. In 2008, he published the master work for designing stage machinery: Mechanical Design for the Stage. His book now helps alumni answer those questions about power or torque (or anything!) that they can’t summon from memory or discern from their dusty old class notes. And perhaps even more importantly, it has made stage machinery more accessible to theater technicians who don’t have the time or means to spend three years in New Haven. Alan’s curiosity is boundless, and for all his greatness as a teacher, he’s never stopped being a student. He has toured the theaters of antiquity, hiked and skied the

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AV I D GE FFE N S CHO OL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

Rockies, and run marathons. He maintains passions for antique clocks, weather forecasting, Google Street View, the symphony, opera, numerology, rhododendrons and other flora, Paris in 1782, and of course, ice cream. His twice-weekly pilgrimages to Ashley’s are almost as legendary as his teaching and have amounted (by my count) to slightly more than 7,000 scoops. If you consider all the students who have joined him, Pied Piper-like, on the 4 pm ice cream break over the years, he’s responsible for a significant portion of the local dairy economy. I have been lucky enough to accompany Alan on these walks up York Street for 20 years. I may miss this the most as he begins his retirement. I think about why I stayed at the Drama School after graduation and why I wanted to become a teacher. Why I left to make it in the “real world” and ultimately returned, and the answer is simple: Because, well— Alan. We will miss him terribly at the School and the Rep. His is a genius that cannot be replaced, but we’ll sleep a little easier knowing that 1-800-ASK-ALAN will be just a phone call away.

Snapshot May Adrales ’06 (Former Faculty) is the inaugural recipient of the Andrew R. Ammerman Directing Award. This $15,000 prize was established by Arena Stage in 2021 to celebrate distinguished female directors. “The recognition from my esteemed colleagues and the meaningful financial support offers encouragement for me to be bold and brave and to continue to tell the stories I want to tell—stories that question, interrogate, and reflect our epoch,” said May in a statement.

Snapshot Charise Castro Smith ’10 made history as the first Latina codirector and the second woman to direct a Disney animated film, Encanto. Castro Smith directed the movie with Byron Howard and Jared Bush, with whom she also wrote the screenplay. (left) Charise and Jared Bush attend Disney Studios’ premiere of Encanto on November 3, 2021, in Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AVID GE FFE N S CHOOL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

Irrepressible and Irreplaceable by Ariana Venturi ’15 and Sophie von Haselberg ’14, YC ’08 Through the locked glass doors at 149 York Street, up the half flight of stairs, through another door that also requires the keycard—ugh seriously, I have to swipe again?—left at the corkboard wall showing off what alumni have been up to: who just won an Oscar, who won an Obie…. It’s cool. Stay cool. Past Lupita’s showcase photo. Dammit, breathe normally. You hope to inspire the same little gasp one day in future students, but for now you’re just hoping to make it through another semester. Another left at the bulletin board. Your palms are a little sweaty. You’re probably second-guessing every choice you made in the “Hedda” scene you did that morning, replaying Ron Van Lieu’s (Faculty Emeritus) words in your head—was that actually a hard-todecipher compliment? Nope. Definitely not. You sucked, and he knew it. Through the doorway to your left, and finally, your nerves give you a break, because there is Ellen Lange. A wall of alumni Christmas

cards behind her, glasses perched on the tip of her nose, freaking out at the ineptitude of someone at the other end of an email, Ellen helps you breathe. Depending on whom you ask, Ellen is the “backbone of the acting program”; “an oasis from the maelstrom”; or “the grande dame of the Drama School.” She’s the prototypical cool aunt, a confidante, a cheeky gossip, our tether to the real world. We know she loves us, but we all want her to like us, because she is in a unique position: She doesn’t view us through the eyes of our teachers, who break us into parts before putting us back together, or our classmates, who see every triumph or failure through the lens of their own experience. She sees our fundamental humanity. Humans who are happy and sad and often fragile, and who care tremendously about our time at Yale. For this reason, having her in the audience at a performance is a unique joy. She doesn’t critique your head-neck

Snapshot Dickinson, the Peabody Award-winning Apple TV+ show created by Alena Smith ’06, released its third and final season in 2021. The series showcased the work of costume designer Jennifer Moeller ’06, art director Alison Ford ’82, and featured actors Marié Botha ’18, Jamel Davall Rodriguez ’08, Emily Dorsch ’07, Amanda Warren ’08, Curtis Morlaye ’18, and Michael Braun ’07, YC ’00. The 21st-century take on the life of Emily Dickinson has been celebrated by audiences and scholars. Costumes, period furnishing, and props were donated to the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA, and scripts, costume and set designs, and paper props were donated to Harvard University’s Houghton Library. Alena Smith ’06 and Hailee Steinfeld, who plays Emily Dickinson, on the set of Dickinson. Photo courtesy of Apple.

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On & Off York Street N EWS FROM THE D AV I D GE FFE N S CHO OL O F DR AMA AT YA L E

relationships or mouth the lines silently as she watches you. She simply takes in the performance and relishes what she sees. You hear her laugh, and you relax a little, knowing that at least one person in the audience is watching you without an objective. With the benefit of hindsight, we can acknowledge that actors at the Drama School subsist on a certain level of pure, unfiltered, medical-grade ego. You’ve heard of Big Dick Energy? This is Big Acting Energy: 45 sleep-deprived people Feeling Big Feelings. All those egos seeking out Ellen to ask for help when it comes to real-world stuff. Help! I need a sublet. Help! I made a short film and have no way to promote it. Help! I’m late with my FAFSA. Help! I can’t Grotowski my way out of a 1040! And so, she boldly takes us where we cannot take ourselves. Who else could juggle the breadth of these needs? Her “talking-and-listening” is unparalleled. Her ability to access both compassion and dry wit at any given moment, astonishing. She changes with the changes better than anyone. This is all to say perhaps the holy grail of acting did not reside in Ron Van Lieu’s approval, but right there at his office’s threshold. Just sitting at her desk, all along, was the embodiment of everything we studied and strived towards. In retrospect, this seems like the kind of trick Ellen and our teachers would play on us. Ellen is the rare administrator who touched our entire experience at school. She was often the first person to whom we spoke after being accepted, the generous soul who always had room at her Thanksgiving table for a homesick student. She still frequently appears in our inboxes, keeping us informed about the happenings of fellow alumni, current students, and faculty. Rather than a tether to the real world, she has been our tether back to our Yale family. In saying goodbye to Ellen, the Drama School—and the Acting department, in

06 particular—is saying goodbye to the woman whose light and liveliness kept us going; the person who made sure we got on the plane to showcase, and that we felt okay afterwards; the woman who was willing to sit on the phone with young actors who were agonizing over whether or not to choose Yale. (If she was on the other end, they definitely chose Yale.) She has been the program’s beating heart and the thrumming pulse. We fear that, without her, the halls will feel a little colder, the approach to the Acting chair’s office, a little more forbidding. From all of the actors whose lives you touched, Ellen, we thank you. We wouldn’t have gotten to where we are without you.

06 Israel Erron Ford ’19 and Ellen Lange (Staff).

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by a l e x v e r m i l l io n ’20, d fa c a n d.

01 Brian Tyree Henry ’07 02 Alex Vermillion ’20, DFA cand. Illustrations by Lee Sullivan

Everyone, at some point, has considered what it would be like to have superhuman abilities. Throughout history, humans have been compelled by legendary and mythical characters. Odysseus. King Arthur. Prospero. We have depicted the experiences of heroic and supernatural characters through visual, oral, and written storytelling. Today, the stories of extraordinary characters are told through two of the highest-grossing media genres in the world: comic books and comic book adaptations. Drama School alumni are no strangers to these comic universes. In conversations I had recently with actors Abubakr Ali ’19, Brian Tyree Henry ’07, James Chen ’08, Juliana Canfield ’17, YC ’14, and writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa ’03, I asked why they believed comic book stories were so popular and relevant right now. In the 1930s, comic books emerged as a form of propaganda. Creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster DAV I D G E F F E N S C H O O L O F D R A M A AT YA L E / A N N UA L M AG A Z I N E / 2 0 21–2 2

03 03 James Chen ’08 04 Roberto AguirreSacasa ’03 05 Juliana Canfield ’17, YC ’14 06 Abubakr Ali ’19

introduced Captain America in Action Comics #1 (1938), with the iconic cover art depicting Captain America punching Adolf Hitler in the face. Comic books made a clear statement—good will always prevail over evil. The dramaturgical dynamic duo of “good versus evil” has endured throughout the ages, presumably because we want to believe in the power of goodness. “It’s primal,” says Abubakr Ali, who will play the leading role in the upcoming Grendel television series. “We’ve always gravitated to stories that are bigger than us, but also to the things we aspire to in our daily lives. How can I become a superhero in my 9 to 5 job? How can I be better than I am while facing forces working against me? There’s something subconsciously human about wanting to better the world around us.” Similarly, for James Chen, who has played Kal in The Walking Dead and Sam in Marvel’s Iron Fist series, comic books offer readers a level of wish-fulfillment. “We all know we have greatness inside of us to do something challenging and do it well,” he says. “It’s not necessarily escapism, so much as a yearning to reach our higher selves.” Not all comic book heroes possess supernatural abilities. Sometimes, they are just human beings fighting to survive. Juliana Canfield, who plays Beth DeVille in the television adaptation of the apocalyptic graphic novel Y: The

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Last Man, says comic book stories offer a safe space to play out scenarios of immense hardships. “Making a show about a pandemic in the middle of a global pandemic, I found myself thinking that if Y: The Last Man is any indication, we could have it much worse,” she says. “A lot of us feel like we’re on the brink of an apocalypse. But being able imaginatively to play out these circumstances through a TV show is both comforting and cathartic.” Comic books provide both a refuge from and a reflection on our daily struggles. Roberto AguirreSacasa, chief creative officer at Archie Comics and writer for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Riverdale, and The Sensational Spider-Man, appreciates when comic book stories center the humanity of the characters. In the 1960s, Marvel shifted its character focus, allowing audiences a deeper understanding of its heroes’ humanity. “You were as invested in Peter Parker as you were in SpiderMan,” he says. “The heroes were more relatable. We all deal with loss differently, but seeing a character harness personal trauma and figure out a way to use it to fuel the rest of their lives is something we all, in some way, are looking for.” In the 1960s, comic book creators brought more diverse characters to the page, ushering in a more accurate representation of our world. They leveraged their fan bases to promote ideas of social justice and inclusion. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s Black Panther was the

05 first-ever Black superhero, appearing originally in Fantastic Four #52 (1966). Seven years later, Shang-Chi appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15 as an adaptation of the television series Kung Fu. Diverse representation of characters in comic books had begun. Over the last 10 years, diversity has increased in comic books and adaptations. Brian Tyree Henry, who played Phastos in Eternals (2021) and voiced Jefferson Davis in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) says, “Images shown to us through film and television affect so much of how we carry ourselves.” From the film releases of both Black Panther (2018) and Shang-Chi (2021) to the inclusion of a deaf character in the Hawkeye TV series, marginalized peoples, whose stories have

historically been unrepresented, are beginning to see their experiences depicted in comic books. “When you see something you haven’t seen before, it becomes less foreign,” says Chen. “Seeing yourself represented, and represented well, is healing.” As theater makers, we aim to tell stories that inspire and broaden our worldview, encouraging us to make the world more just and equitable. The message of “good versus evil,” so prevalent in the early days of comics, has given way to exposing the gray areas of morality, focusing on issues of justice, vengeance, and violence. The diversity on the comic book page has also opened doors for diverse casting in adaptations. “What’s exciting about inhabiting these roles is the opportunity for different bodies, different humans,

to share their view of the world,” says Ali. For Canfield, it’s about seeing yourself represented on the screen or the page. “The more types of people who are endowed with supernatural abilities,” she says, “the more young people will feel like they have something special about them.” Aguirre-Sacasa agrees: “When a kid is watching a SpiderMan movie, and Spider-Man has his mask on, the person under that mask could be anyone.” Comic books aren’t entirely about supernatural abilities, epic battles, or lifelong arch enemies— though those elements are captivatingly entertaining. At their core, they’re about humanity. They explore what it means to be human, experience loss, fall in love, and overcome adversity. It doesn’t take a superhuman effort; we can become the heroes of our own lives. We can shape the world to be a better place. We can make our stories reflect the lived realities of all people. It’s already taking place. In the comic universe.

Alex Vermillion ’20, DFA cand. (ze/zir/ zirs) is a dramaturg, artist, marketer, and educator.

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Another Chapter in the

Life of a

Storyteller by c h a d k i n s m a n ’18

01 Maulik Pancholy ’03 at the NYC book launch for The Best At It in 2019 at Books of Wonder. Photo courtesy of Getty Images for HarperCollins.

Maulik Pancholy ’03 is an award-winning actor with credits ranging from 30 Rock and Weeds (written and produced by Rolin Jones ’04) to beloved cartoons such as Disney’s Phineas and Ferb. He’s appeared on stages coast to coast, including Broadway in Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl ’02, ART ’98. He was an Obama appointee on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from 2014 to 2017, when he resigned to cofound Act to Change, an anti-bullying nonprofit with a focus on the AAPI community. This past year, Maulik has been developing a pilot for HBO Max based on his 2020 Stonewall Book Awardwinning The Best at It, while writing a second middle grade novel for a fall 2022 release. He’s also a regular classroom and event speaker, frequent interviewee, and a full-time husband. If you ask him for one word that characterizes his multi-hyphenated career, his answer comes as no surprise: storyteller. DAV I D G E F F E N S C H O O L O F D R A M A AT YA L E / A N N UA L M AG A Z I N E / 2 0 21–2 2

02 Michael Urie and Maulik Pancholy ’03 in the 2020 Broadway production of Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl ’02, ART ’98. In 2022, Maulik was featured in another Second Stage production, To My Girls by JC Lee. Photo by Joan Marcus for Second Stage Theater. 24

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How much of yourself can you bring to any given piece? How authentic can you be, as opposed to disappearing? Stories have been shaping Maulik’s life since a young age. “My mom and dad have told me that I said I wanted to be an actor when I was five years old. The way I remember it is this: I was an awkward kid and then an awkward teenager, uncomfortable in my own skin. The world of make believe felt like a great escape from that. I wanted to go live in this other world that’s not mine and disappear for a few hours.” At age 12, Maulik made his first big move into show business. “When I was in middle school in Tampa, everyone thought Orlando was going to be the next big film center of the world. I went through the Yellow Pages for an agent and made my mom drive me to some questionable talent agency,” Maulik says with a laugh. “I did a local Star Search and community theater shows such as The Me Nobody Knows, Grease, and The Wizard of Oz.” A director named Kathi Grau encouraged the budding actor. ‘If you want to do this, you can do this, and here’s how you can do it,’ Maulik remembers her saying. “She helped me prepare auditions for schools. She told me I should check out Northwestern and then someday go to Yale School of Drama. I did both, and we’re still in touch today.” Even as a child, Maulik noted the lack of characters of color, as well as openly gay characters, in media and entertainment. The few there were were often stereotypical and offensive. Little had changed when he arrived in L.A. after graduating from Northwestern. “You can play the foreign exchange student,” and “Bring

The cover art for Maulik’s next novel, Nikhil Out Loud, which comes out in October 2022. Photo courtesy of HarperCollins.

your own turban to the audition,” Maulik says, imitating casting directors. Unwilling to let the nuances of his Indian American ethnicity, his sexuality, or any part of himself, disappear into caricature, he left for New Haven. At Yale, he discovered a new approach to his work. “What the Drama School started for me is this process of how much can you reveal of yourself in your work, how much can you open yourself up creatively,” Maulik professes. “Whether you were in movement class with Wesley Fata (Faculty Emeritus) letting ‘the bear out,’ or digging deep in a voice, or working with Chris Bayes (Faculty) in Clown, you were building toward the same thing: How much of yourself can you bring to any given piece? How authentic can you be, as opposed to disappearing?” Maulik found himself asking the same questions while writing The Best at It, about Rahul, a gay, Indian American seventh grader, eager to stand out in a world of bullies, anxieties, crushes, and family. “I had friends in the publishing industry whose mission is to increase diversity in books for young people. They asked if I had ever thought of writing a book,” Maulik shares. “I was like, ‘No, that’s insane. Don’t you have to know how to write a book?’ I started reading a ton of middle grade novels that they thought I should check out, and I realized there was a story I wanted to tell, a story I needed at 12, a story that hadn’t been written. The Best at It is fictional, but I used a lot of what I learned at Yale to write it.” Today, when Maulik speaks to students, whether about his book or anti-bullying, he encourages them to be their authentic selves. He asks them a question he never stops asking himself: How much of myself can I put into this? Chad Kinsman ’18 is a DC-based dramaturg and theater administrator.

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01 01 Arturo Luís Soria ’19 in Ni Mi Madre at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2021 directed by Danilo Gambini ’20, dramaturgy by Nahuel Telleria ’19, DFA ’21, set design by Stephanie Osin Cohen ’19, costume design by Haydee Zelideth ’17, lighting design by Krista Smith ’18, and sound design by Kathy Ruvuna ’19. Photo by Andrew Soria.

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Forgiveness and Healing: Releasing Ni Mi Madre by n a h u e l t e l l e r i a ’16, dfa ’21 Ni Mi Madre had its premiere at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in late summer of 2021, but its author and star, Arturo Luís Soria ’19, has been developing this solo performance about his mother since he was an undergraduate student at DePaul University. The show, like Soria, has grown much in the last 13 years. “When I started writing this play in 2008, I didn’t know about the Yoruba goddess Iemanjá,” he remarks, acknowledging her importance to his work and her critical role in Afro-Brazilian rituals. Soria continues, “I had never been to Brazil; I had never been to a ceremony.” Fortunately for him, it was a fated encounter with his future collaborator and friend Danilo Gambini ’20, at the Yale Cabaret, that allowed Soria closer access to Brazil and its syncretic rites. The love–resentment dyad between parents and children was something director Danilo Gambini understood instinctively as he read Ni Mi Madre in fall of DAV I D G E F F E N S C H O O L O F D R A M A AT YA L E / A N N UA L M AG A Z I N E / 2 0 21–2 2

Dramaturgical Notes The syncretic religion of umbanda was born in Rio de Janeiro; its theological ancestors are African, Indigenous, and European in origin. Like Latin America itself, umbanda comes from a long history of colonial violence and oppression, yet likewise displays the vitality of resistance and remembrance to the territory and its peoples. Aided by Danilo Gambini’s ’20 direction and cultural knowledge of Brazil, Arturo Luís Soria’s ’19 Ni Mi Madre pays tribute to umbanda rituals, in particular the annual adoration of Iemanjá. Known outside of Brazil as Yemo.ja (Yoruba) or Yemayá (Spanish), Iemanjá is an important orixá (deity) within the umbanda pantheon. She is associated

with childbirth and the ocean and is often depicted wearing light blue. Whereas in West Africa, Yemo.ja lives in rivers, the Yemayá and Iemanjá of Latin America lives in the ocean, a critical deviation marked by the Middle Passage. To rekindle their hopes in the new year, umbandistas dress in white and approach the beach to send out flowers to Iemanjá. Standing in the ocean waters, they ask for safe passage, abundance, and fertility. That they do so facing the historical divide between Africa and the Americas with a symbolic boat full of flowers confirms the ritual need to heal a colonial wound more than 500 years in the making.

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02 Arturo Luís Soria ’19 in Ni Mi Madre at the Cabaret in 2017 directed by Danilo Gambini ’20, produced by Jaime Francisco Totti ’20, YC ’09, set design by Stephanie Osin Cohen ’19, costume design by Cole McCarty ’18, lighting design by Krista Smith ’18, sound design by Kathy Ruvuna ’19, dramaturgy and stage management by Madeline Charne ’20, and technical direction by Bryanna Kim ’19. Photo by Brittany Bland ’19.

2017, when he himself was a new immigrant from Brazil to the United States, beginning his first year at the School of Drama. “Arturo was needing a ritual of forgiveness,” Gambini notes. “And not only Arturo. This play would allow every one of us to go through this essential part of humanity, which is to forgive our parents.” Consequently, Gambini alighted on the play’s framing device—an umbanda ritual to Iemanjá, the orixá of oceans and seafarers, the goddess of motherhood, popularly celebrated by Brazilians around the New Year. Like the sending out of little boats into the sea, the prayer of umbandistas hoping to weather the tempests in their lives, Ni Mi Madre is a story of letting go. It is a story of releasing our childhood trauma, of changing our resentment toward how we were raised, without succumbing to the kind of colonial amnesia that makes remembering our ancestors a nearly impossible task. Ni Mi Madre begins with the flicker of a candle: a son takes centerstage wearing his mother’s dress and dancing to Cher’s iconic breakup song “Believe.” The play then passes through the mother’s stand-up comedy routine, interrupted by the ghost of her own mother, and ends with the son reclaiming his agency and taking off the dress of resentment. Through this fabulous and matrilineal trajectory, Ni Mi Madre produces an offering, an essential requisite for any rite. Like the rite of parenthood, of raising a family successfully, one must be willing to pay the cost, a sacrifice to enact and confirm a felicitous outcome. For Soria, the price of claiming his inheritance is this play. Gambini remembers the final production day at Yale

Cabaret: “Arturo had been writing and writing this show for years, and I told him, ‘You have to move forward,’ because forgiveness meant closing this book. So, at the end of the last performance, we invited the audience to go to the Cab garden, and we set fire to most of the old materials Arturo kept about the show. We burned them as a ritual of moving forward.” This the show did, going on to be produced at Rattlestick, with the help of many School of Drama graduates. According to Soria, the incubator space provided by Yale Cabaret was critical to the play’s eventual success in New York: “It was the first time that I had a full team behind it.” He recalls late nights of rehearsals with his collaborators and critical rewrites with dramaturg Madeline Charne ’20—which further transformed the play and its story arc. Through all the years of personal and dramaturgical change, the opportunity to cure others has kept Soria going. “If I can heal,” he says, “then other people can heal.” The belief in healing has collectively radiated with all members of the production team at Yale Cabaret and Rattlestick, and with audiences. “Ni Mi Madre is about learning to grow, learning to empathize, learning to understand,” Soria concludes. “It’s about taking a moment to draw close to my mother’s pain, so that I can draw closer to my own and let it go.”

Nahuel Telleria ’16, DFA ’21 is a dramaturg, translator, writer, and educator. He is an assistant professor of dramaturgy at the University of Oklahoma, Helmerich School of Drama.

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Real to Reel:

On Set with Adam Stockhausen by m a r k b l a n k e n s h i p ’05

01 Rita Moreno on the set of West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg. Photo courtesy of Adam Stockhausen ’99. DAV I D G E F F E N S C H O O L O F D R A M A AT YA L E / A N N UA L M AG A Z I N E / 2 0 21–2 2

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02 Adam Stockhausen on the set of Bridge of Spies directed by Steven Spielberg. Photo courtesy of Adam Stockhausen.

arly in his career as a film production designer, Adam Stockhausen ’99 learned to respect the guy with the knife. A few years before he won an Oscar for his work on Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel and became a go-to collaborator for directors like Steven Spielberg and Steve McQueen, he worked with legendary horror auteur Wes Craven on the 2010 slasher pic My Soul to Take. He hadn’t designed a “genre picture” before, but he figured he knew the score. “Wes and I were standing on the set, and I’d made a cheap ceiling, because I was trying to save money,” he recalls. “In the films I had worked on up to that point, you just didn’t spend time looking at the ceiling. But now here we are: there’s a dead body on the floor; there’s a killer with a knife in his hand; and the camera’s pointing straight up at the ceiling. I’m pulling my hair out and saying, ‘I didn’t know we were going to be looking right at it!’” Craven was shocked. “He stopped what he was doing,” Stockhausen says. “He turned to me and said, ‘What do you mean we weren’t going to look right at it? Someone’s always going to get stabbed, and then we always have to look up at the guy stabbing.’ It was one of those ‘smack your forehead’ moments, because you always have to remember which story you’re telling.” That’s rule number one, he says, no matter what type of film he’s designing. “It’s like in Jennifer Tipton’s (Faculty) lighting class, when she would ask, ‘What’s the world of this play?’ You have to understand the world of the story, and you also have to understand how the director and the writer want to see that world created. The way they want to tell it is not the way the next person will want to tell it.” Take Steve McQueen’s Widows, a 2018 film about a disparate group of women in Chicago who band together to commit a robbery. “Yes, there were the mechanics of the crime, but Steve was primarily interested in those women and their stories,” Stockhausen says. “The main goal was to ask how we put these very distinct women’s stories next to each other, so that we could see these different lives being threaded together.”

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Stockhausen had to create environments that epitomized each of the women, and because the film was shot on location, that meant going to the homes and businesses of actual Chicagoans and asking to look around. But the artistry came in transforming a real place into something that suited the fictional characters. For instance, a working-class character named Alice needed a space that evoked not only her ties to her Polish neighborhood, but also her claustrophobic existence with her abusive, mobbed-up husband. “We were literally knocking on doors near a Polish bakery, asking if we could come up,” Stockhausen remembers. “And in this one place, we walked up the stairs into a little apartment with popcorn ceilings. It had the vertical slat blinds. We walked in and said, ‘This is it!’ And then we thought, ‘What if the husband has this motorcycle, and he’s brought it into the apartment because the street isn’t safe enough?’ All of a sudden, Alice’s life made sense.” Sometimes, the interplay between the real-life space and the film space is much less 34

literal. In Anderson’s 2021 film The French Dispatch, which drolly depicts four stories from a fictional magazine similar to The New Yorker, a scene inside a prison was actually filmed in a decrepit factory. But while much of the prison set was purpose-built, Anderson wanted original elements from the factory to be part of the final design. This was inspired by Orson Welles’s movie The Trial, which was set in various locations but filmed entirely in a train station. “In The Trial, you see all this grand, sweeping architecture, and it adds an amazing quality to the movie,” Stockhausen says, “And Wes said, ‘What if our prison were the same way? What if it’s in a location that we’re not really using as itself?’ So then walking around at the factory, we got inspired. It became about finding the details we could keep, like the amazing spiral staircase that the guard comes down when the prisoner is in the electric chair.” In the film, the staircase gives the scene a strange elegance that competes with the pending execution, and that helps us understand the dangerous whimsy of this world.

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03 Construction of Le Sans Blague Café for Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. Photo courtesy of Adam Stockhausen.

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“You start with the reference of what it’s really like...but then you expand out until you get something magical.”

04 A set from The Grand Budapest Hotel directed by Wes Anderson. Photo courtesy of Adam Stockhausen.

Similarly, when he designed Spielberg’s recent remake of West Side Story, Stockhausen needed to convey a type of paradoxical fantastic authenticity. “Steven wanted New York to be real, but real doesn’t mean documentary reality of 1957,” Stockhausen says. “What he meant was there’s a grittiness and a dirtiness and a physical specificity that you get when you shoot on a real street instead of a studio backlot. “But it’s also a musical. They’re singing. They’re dancing in the streets in color-coded costumes. It needed to have an element of fantasy to it. So, for example, when you go into the Puerto Rican neighborhood, we wanted to feel it was thriving, compared to the Jets’ neighborhood. We wanted the signs to be in Spanish, and that didn’t mean a couple of signs. It meant every sign; in a way that’s more what you would see if you just turned up with a camera in 1957.” Ultimately, he says, those dreamlike touches get at something authentic about the movie’s Upper West Side riff on Romeo and Juliet. “The reality that’s important is the reality of

the story. What does the neighborhood look like for these characters? You start with the reference of what it’s really like in New York, but then you expand out until you get something magical.” Or to paraphrase West Side Story: When Stockhausen designs a film, he’s trying to create a place for us—a place that shows us something true about the world on screen. Mark Blankenship ’05 is the Reviews Editor for Primetimer.com.

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Bookshelf PUB L IC AT IO NS BY & ABO U T DAV I D G E F F E N S CH OOL OF DRA MA AT YA L E A L U MN I

01 The Art of Bob Mackie by Frank Vlastnik and Laura Ross ’81 Simon & Schuster, 2021. 02 The Art of Dramaturgy by Anne Cattaneo ’74 Yale University Press, 2021. 03 Director Actor Coach: Solutions for Director/Actor Challenges by Forrest Sears ’58 BookBaby, 2020.

04 Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More: Stories from the Broadway Phenomenon That Started It All Edited by Tom Moore ’68, Adrienne Barbeau, and Ken Waissman Chicago Review Press, 2022. 05 Haikus for New York City: Seventeen Syllables for Nine Million People by Peter C. Goldmark, Jr. Illustrations by Sandra Goldmark ’04 Tuttle Publishing, 2021.

06 Satire (Forms of Drama) by Joel Schechter ’72, DFA ’73 Methuen Drama, 2021.

09 Professor Figgy’s Weather & Climate Science Lab for Kids by Jim Noonan ’06 Quarry Books, 2022.

07 Vamp Until Ready by James Magruder ’88, DFA ’92 Rattling Good Yarns Press, 2021.

10 Women of Walt Disney Imagineering: 12 Women Reflect on Their Trailblazing Theme Park Careers by Pam Rank ’78, and others Disney Editions, 2022.

08 Waste: Capitalism and the Dissolution of the Human in Twentieth-Century Theater by Jessica Rizzo ’14, DFA ’17 Punctum Books, 2020.

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Awards & Honors Alumni and Faculty Awards and Honors as of April 7, 2022 73rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards 2021 Outstanding Production Design for a Variety, Reality, or Competition Series Eugene Lee ’86 Akira Yoshimura ’71 Winner, Saturday Night Live Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series James Burrows ’65 Nominee, B Positive Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Jonathan Majors ’16 Nominee, Lovecraft Country

Outstanding Directing Team for a Preschool, Children’s, or Family Viewing Program Shannon Flynn ’02 Winner, Sesame Street 94th Annual Academy Awards 2022 Production Design Adam Stockhausen ’99 Nominee, West Side Story 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards 2021 Best Motion Picture – Drama Frances McDormand ’82 (Producer) Winner, Nomadland

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Moses Ingram ’19 Nominee, The Queen’s Gambit

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Frances McDormand ’82 Nominee, Nomadland

Kathryn Hahn ’01 Nominee, WandaVision

27th Screen Actors Guild Awards 2021

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Courtney B. Vance ’86 Winner, Lovecraft Country

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ’15 Winner, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Outstanding Narrator Sigourney Weaver ’74 Nominee, Secrets of the Whales

Jonathan Majors ’16 Nominee, Da 5 Bloods

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series Tom Broecker ’92 (Producer) Winner, Saturday Night Live 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards: Children’s & Animation Categories 2021 Outstanding Limited Performance in a Children’s Program Lupita Nyong’o ’12 Winner, Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Frances McDormand ’82 Nominee, Nomadland Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Jonathan Majors ’16 Nominee, Lovecraft Country

74th Annual Tony Awards 2020 Best Play Bess Wohl ’02, ART ’99 (Playwright) Nominee, Grand Horizons Jeremy O. Harris ’19 (Playwright) Robert O’Hara (Faculty) (Director) Nominee, Slave Play Best Revival of a Play Arin Arbus (Faculty) (Director) Nominee, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune Best Original Score Daniel Kluger YC ’08 (Faculty) Nominee, The Sound Inside Fitz Patton ’01 Nominee, The Rose Tattoo Best Direction of a Play Robert O’Hara (Faculty) Nominee, Slave Play Best Leading Actor in a Play Andrew Burnap ’16 Winner, The Inheritance Best Featured Actor in a Play David Alan Grier ’81 Winner, A Soldier’s Play Ato Blankson-Wood ’15 Nominee, Slave Play James Cusati-Moyer ’15 Nominee, Slave Play Best Featured Actress in a Play Chalia La Tour ’16 Nominee, Slave Play Best Scenic Design of a Play Derek McLane ’84 Nominee, A Soldier’s Play

Best Scenic Design of a Musical Derek McLane ’84 Winner, Moulin Rouge! The Musical Riccardo Hernández ’92 (Faculty) Nominee, Jagged Little Pill Best Costume Design of a Play Dede M. Ayite ’11 Nominee, A Soldier’s Play Nominee, Slave Play Best Costume Design of a Musical Catherine Zuber ’84 Winner, Moulin Rouge! The Musical Emily Rebholz ’06 Nominee, Jagged Little Pill Best Lighting Design of a Play Jiyoun “Jiji” Chang ’08 Nominee, Slave Play Best Sound Design of a Play Daniel Kluger YC ’08 (Faculty) Nominee, Sea Wall/A Life Daniel Kluger YC ’08 (Faculty) Nominee, The Sound Inside 27th Critics Choice Awards 2022 Best Acting Ensemble Meryl Streep ’75, HON ’83 Nominee, Don’t Look Up Best Production Design Adam Stockhausen ’99 Rena DeAngelo Nominee, The French Dispatch Nominee, West Side Story Best Animated Feature Charise Castro Smith ’10 (Co-Director & Screenwriter) Nominee, Encanto

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Awards & Honors Best Drama Series Mary Laws ’14 (Consulting Producer/Writer) Susan Soon He Stanton ’10 (Supervising Producer/Writer) Winner, Succession Best Comedy Series Amelia Roper ’13 (Consulting Producer) Nominee, The Great

Outstanding Digital Theater, Collection or Festival Alan C. Edwards ’11 (Faculty), Brittany Bland ’19, Mika Eubanks ’19, Twi McCallum ’21, Megumi Katayama ’21, Riw Rakkulchon ’19, Dede M. Ayite ’11 (Creators) Nominee, 1MOVE: DES19NED BY…

Kim Rosenstock ’10 (Consulting Producer/Writer) Nominee, Only Murders in the Building

Timothy Douglas ’86 (Director) Nominee, The Work of Adrienne Kennedy: Inspiration and Influence

Best Limited Series Marcus Gardley ’04 (Co-Executive Producer/Writer) Nominee, Maid

Outstanding Interactive or Socially-Distanced Theater Tamilla Woodard ’02 (Faculty) (Creator/Director) Nominee, American Dreams

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series of Movie Made for Television Courtney B. Vance ’86 Nominee, Genius: Aretha Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Kathryn Hahn ’01 Nominee, WandaVision 87th Annual Drama League Awards 2021 Outstanding Digital Theater, Individual Production Michael Breslin ’19, Patrick Foley ’18 (Creators) Catherine María Rodríguez, Ariel Sibert ’18 (Collaborating Artists) Rory Pelsue ’18 (Director) Nominee, Circle Jerk Blanka Zizka (Faculty) (Director) Nominee, Heroes of the Fourth Turning

The 2021 Pulitzer Prizes Drama Michael Breslin ’19, Patrick Foley ’18 Finalist, Circle Jerk USITT Awards 2021 Distinguished Achievement Award in Engineering Alan Hendrickson ’83 (Faculty) 57th Annual Henry Hewes Design Awards 2021 Ming Cho Lee Award for Lifetime Achievement in Design Toni-Leslie James (Faculty) 43rd Annual Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2021

Haydee Zelideth ’17 (Costume Consultant) Nominee, Carla’s Quince

Miranda Rose Hall ’17 Finalist, A Play for the Living in the Time of Extinction

Liz Duffy Adams ’97 (Playwright) Nominee, Wild Thyme

37th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards 2022

Outstanding Audio Theater Production May Adrales ’06 (Former Faculty) (Director) Nominee, OUTTAKES Outstanding Digital Concert Production Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07 (Faculty) (Director) Nominee, Breathing Free, A Visual Album Michael Breslin ’19, Patrick Foley ’18 (Stage Adaptors) Nominee, Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical

Outstanding Play Lynne Meadow ’71 (Artistic Director, Manhattan Theatre Club) Nominee, Prayer for the French Republic Outstanding Musical Lynn Nottage ’89 (Former Faculty) (Libretto by) Nominee, Intimate Apparel Outstanding Ensemble Tiffany Rachelle Stewart ’07 Nominee, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 Outstanding Scenic Design Wilson Chin ’03 Nominee, Space Dogs Adam Rigg ’13 Nominee, cullud wattah Nominee, On Sugarland

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Outstanding Costume Design Catherine Zuber ’84 Nominee, Intimate Apparel Outstanding Sound Design Mikaal Sulaiman (Faculty) Nominee, Sanctuary City Outstanding Projection Design Caite Hevner ’07 Nominee, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord Playwrights’ Sidewalk Inductee David Henry Hwang ’83

Fellowships & Scholarships The recipients for the 2021–2022 academic year were:

Nina Adams and Moreson Kaplan Scholarship Shimali De Silva ’23 John M. Badham Scholarship Bobbin Ramsey ’24 John Badham Scholarship in Directing James L. Fleming ’23 Mark Bailey Scholarship Henriëtte Rietveld ’22 George Pierce Baker Memorial Scholarship Sebastián Eddowes ’24 Rebecca Flemister ’24 Hannah F. Gellman ’24 Herbert H. and Patricia M. Brodkin Scholarship Tavia Elise Hunt ’23 Patricia M. Brodkin Memorial Scholarship Chloe Liu ’24 Bekah Brown ’22 Robert Brustein Scholarship Ashley M. Thomas ’23 Paul Carter Scholarship Andrew Riedemann ’23 Ciriello Family Fund Scholarship Kelly O’Loughlin ’22 Class of 1979 and Friends Scholarship Megan Birdsong ’23 August Coppola Scholarship Chloe Knight ’24 Caris Corfman Scholarship Rebeca Robles ’24

Cheryl Crawford Scholarship a.k. payne ’23, YC ’19

Earle R. Gister Scholarship Samuel DeMuria ’23

Edgar and Louise Cullman Scholarship Bobbin Ramsey ’24

Randolph Goodman Scholarship Anna Grigo ’22

Cullman Scholarship in Directing Garrett Allen ’24 Christopher D. Betts ’22 Leyla Levi ’23, YC ’16

Stephen R. Grecco ’70 Scholarship Danielle Stagger ’24

deVeer Family Drama Scholarship Emma Pernudi-Moon ’23 Richard H. Diggs ’30, YC ’26 Scholarship Charlie Lovejoy ’24 Holmes Easley Scholarship John Horzen ’24 Eldon Elder Fellowship Aholibama Castañeda González ’24 Luanne Jubsee ’24 Eugenio Sáenz Flores ’24 Elihu Scholarship at David Geffen School of Drama Mike Winch ’23 Wesley Fata Scholarship Michael Allyn Crawford ’24 Foster Family Graduate Fellowship Alexus Coney ’24, YC ’20 Dino Fusco and Anita Pamintuan Fusco Scholarship Yao Pang ’23 Annie G. K. Garland Memorial Scholarship Andrew Petrick ’23

Jerome L. Greene Scholarship Anthony Grace Brown ’23 Patrick Falcón ’23 Abigail C. Onwunali ’23 Kayodé Soyemi ’23 Isuri Wijesundara ’23

Jay and Rhonda Keene Scholarship for Costume Design Aidan Griffiths ’23 Ray Klausen Design Scholarship Camilla Tassi ’22 Gordon F. Knight Scholarship Bailey Trierweiler ’22 Ming Cho Lee Scholarship Jimmy Stubbs ’22 Lotte Lenya Scholarship Sola Fadiran ’22

Julie Harris Scholarship Sarah Lyddan ’22

Helene A. Lindstrom Scholarship Whitney Andrews ’24

Stephen J. Hoffman ’64 Scholarship Hsun Chiang ’23

Victor S. Lindstrom Scholarship Mia Sara Haiman ’23

Sally Horchow Scholarship for David Geffen School of Drama Actors Caro Riverita ’24

Frederick Loewe Scholarship Nat Lopez ’24

William and Sarah Hyman Scholarship Nicole E. Lang ’22 Geoffrey Ashton Johnson/ Noël Coward Scholarship Karen Killeen ’24 Pamela Jordan Scholarship Joe Krempetz ’23 Stanley Kauffmann Scholarship Faith-Marie Zamblé ’23 Sylvia Fine Kaye Scholarship Janiah Francois ’24

Frederick Loewe Scholarship for Directors in Honor of Floria V. Lasky James L. Fleming ’23 Lord Memorial Scholarship Natalie King ’24 Edward A. Martenson Scholarship Samanta Cubias ’23 Virginia Brown Martin Scholarship Amelia Windom ’24 Stanley R. McCandless Scholarship Graham Zellers ’23

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Fellowships & Scholarships Alfred L. McDougal and Nancy Lauter McDougal Endowed Scholarship Anna Grigo ’22 Patrick Ball ’22 Tom Moore Scholarship Hyejin Son ’22 Benjamin Mordecai Memorial Scholarship in Theater Management Sarah Ashley Cain ’22 Kenneth D. Moxley Memorial Scholarship Katie Byron ’22 Alois M. Nagler Scholarship Gabrielle Hoyt ’24, YC ’15 G. Charles Niemeyer Scholarship Michael Breslin ’19, DFA cand. Matthew Conway ’18, DFA cand. Victoria Nolan Scholarship Emma Rose Perrin ’22 Dwight Richard Odle Scholarship Joanelle Moriah ’22 Donald M. Oenslager Scholarship in Stage Design Emmie Finckel ’23 Marcelo Martínez García ’23 Donald and Zorka Oenslager Scholarship in Stage Design Henry Rodriguez ’23 Hannah Tran ’23 Miguel Urbino ’23 Theo Dubois ’24 Eugene O’Neill Memorial Scholarship Benjamin Benne ’22

Mary Jean Parson Scholarship Leyla Levi ’23, YC ’16

Daniel and Helene Sheehan Scholarship Annabel Guevara ’24

Raymond Plank Scholarship in Drama Eric Walker ’22

Eugene F. Shewmaker & Robert L Hurten Scholarship Maia Novi ’22

Alan Poul Scholarship Sammy Zeisel ’24 Jeff and Pam Rank Scholarship Sky Pang ’23

Shubert Scholarships Cam Camden ’22 Jackeline Torres Cortés ’22 Meg Powers ’22 Jisun Kim ’22 Noel Nichols ’22

Mark J. Richard Scholarship Angie Bridgette Jones ’22

Howard Stein Scholarship Stefani Kuo ’24, YC ’17

Lloyd Richards Scholarship in Acting Malik James ’24

Stephen B. Timbers Family Scholarship for Playwriting Rudi Goblen ’23

Barbara E. Richter Scholarship Sydney Garick ’24 Dani Mader ’22

Jennifer Tipton Scholarship in Lighting Graham Zellers ’23

Rodman Family Scholarship Evdoxia Ragkou ’23 Pierre-André Salim Memorial Scholarship Juhee Kim ’23 Kevin Jinghong Zhu ’22

Tisdale Family Scholarship Caitlin M. Dutkiewicz ’22 Frank Torok Scholarship Brandon Lovejoy ’22 Nancy and Edward Trach Scholarship Nicole E. Lang ’22

Bronislaw “Ben” Sammler Scholarship Nate Angrick ’23

Ron Van Lieu Scholarship Matthew Elijah Webb ’22

Scholarship for Playwriting Students Doug Robinson ’24

Leon Brooks Walker Scholarship Malachi Beasley ’23

Richard Harrison Senie Scholarship Yu-Jung Shen ’24 Bridget Lindsay ’22

Richard Ward Scholarship Jacob Santos ’24 Zelma Weisfeld Scholarship for Costume Design Meg Powers ’22

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Constance Welch Memorial Scholarship Anthony Holiday ’22 Karl Green ’24 Rebecca West Scholarship Nomè SiDone ’23 Cooper Bruhns ’24 Audrey Wood Scholarship Benjamin Benne ’22 Board of Advisors Scholarship John Sully ’22 Albert Zuckerman Scholarship esperanza rosales balcárcel ’23

Art of Giving

‘Go west, young man,’ is just what Richard Diggs ’30, YC ’26 did after graduating from the School of

Age of Hollywood cinema. On the Paramount lot he would have rubbed elbows with stars like Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, Claudette Colbert, William Powell, and the Marx Brothers, along with the directors Cecil B. DeMille, Ernst Lubitsch, and Josef von Sternberg.

Drama. His education in playwriting landed him a job at the prestigious Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles. “It was a new frontier,” recalled Dr. Mary Corner Berkley, Richard’s niece, “Hollywood executives were eager to hire someone with theatrical training.” When Richard Diggs walked through the famous Paramount gate, he was entering the Golden

Among his many Paramount projects, Diggs was the assistant producer on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring Fredric March and Miriam Hopkins. It earned March an Oscar for Best Actor in 1932. When the film was rereleased in 1935, Richard helped edit the picture to satisfy the morally strict Hollywood Production Code introduced in 1934.

Honoring a Father’s Wishes

01 01 Louella Parsons (seated third from left) and Richard Diggs ’30, YC ’26 (standing second from left) at a rehearsal of Hollywood Hotel in 1952. Photo by CBS via Getty Images.

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Art of Giving After Paramount, Richard began producing radio shows for Louella Parsons, the noted gossip columnist whose daily feature appeared in more than 400 newspapers and was read by over 20 million people. The show, called Hollywood Hotel, proved just as popular as Parsons’ column. It introduced the idea of “sneak previews” in which celebrity guests would read parts from their upcoming films. During World War II, the U.S. Army stationed troops in Alaska and Richard was enlisted to establish a radio station on base. He produced radio programming to provide troops with news and entertainment, which helped morale during the long, harsh Alaskan winters. After the war, Richard continued working in radio. Richard’s Hollywood connections led to a successful second career in California real estate, until he retired to Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife, Virginia, who had been the assistant to movie mogul Darryl Zanuck. In January 1994, Richard Diggs died at the age of 91 after a battle with cancer. Richard’s son Nicholas wanted to fulfill his father’s wish to make a significant contribution to Yale. In 2020, he began making gifts to the Drama School including a scholarship in his father’s name and emergency support for students during the early months of the pandemic. Sadly, this past year, Nicholas passed away from complications due to COVID-19 at the age of 74. In an act of extraordinary generosity, Nicholas left his entire estate to the David Geffen School of Drama to support the School’s programming and a new state of the art facility 44

where a space will be named in honor of Richard Diggs. “Nicholas was so proud of his father who was a trailblazer in the early years of entertainment,” said Deborah S. Berman, Director of Development and Alumni Affairs. “He said that Richard always attributed his success to his time at Yale. With this gift, both father and son have left an enduring legacy at the School.”

An Opportunity for Inspiration In 2021, the Raymond N. Plank Philanthropy Fund established endowments for the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and Yale School of Music to provide opportunities for artist residencies at Ucross. Set in the foothills of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains on a 20,000-acre working cattle ranch, Ucross is one of the country’s preeminent artist residency programs, offering uninterrupted time to work, studio space, living accommodations, and the inspirational camaraderie of fellow creators. The Drama School’s first recipients are playwrights Genne Murphy ’18 (Faculty) and Majkin Holmquist ’18 (Faculty), who attended in March. “Ucross is an incredibly supportive place,” shared Murphy after returning home from the fellowship, “There was a great cross-section of artists working in different disciplines and in different stages of their careers. This experience gave me perspective about what I can do to cultivate a life which provides more room for

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04 02 Majkin Holmquist ’18 03 Genne Murphy ’18 04 Eric M. Glover (Faculty)

Art of Giving writing.” Holmquist also found inspiration from those around her, “The other artists were wonderful, and I had incredible conversations for the entire two weeks. And it was a special treat to be there with Genne. We were able to discuss our work in depth because of the space and time this opportunity provided. Ultimately, I was able to finish revisions on one play and write half a draft of a brand-new piece.” Professor Adjunct of Dramaturgy Eric M. Glover will attend in the fall of 2022.

Playwright Peter Shaffer’s Foundation to Support New Play Commissions The School of Drama has received a threeyear gift from the Sir Peter Shaffer Charitable Foundation that will support new works commissioned by Yale Repertory Theatre’s Binger Center for New Theatre. The Center has commissioned more than 40 plays and underwritten the productions of more than 30 new plays at Yale Rep and theaters across the country since its inception in 2008. Shaffer, who wrote the Tony Award-winning Equus and Amadeus, believed in the dra-

matic power and significance of plays of scale. Accordingly, the grant will commission one playwright per year, for three years, to develop plays with more than four characters. In addition to Equus, the story of a psychiatrist trying to help the troubled stable boy who blinds six horses, and Amadeus, a drama about the rivalry between Mozart and the composer Antonio Salieri, Shaffer authored the plays Five Finger Exercise (1958), The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1964), Black Comedy (1965), and Lettice and Lovage (1986), among others. “Peter’s wish was that this playwriting grant be awarded to writers creating plays of large scope and character,” said Alan Schwartz LAW ’56, a long-time friend of Peter’s and Trustee of the Shaffer Foundation. “This reflects his own development as an artist and his passion for the expansion of the dramatic experience. We make this gift with

“Peter’s wish was that this playwriting grant be awarded to writers creating plays of large scope and character.” the firm belief that Yale Repertory Theatre will use it to further enhance that experience.” Schwartz acknowledged the efforts of Gordon Rogoff YC ’52 (Faculty Emeritus) as instrumental in the Foundation’s decision to award this gift to Yale. “Gordon’s enthusiasm for this grant encouraged me to put the Drama School and Yale Repertory Theatre at the top of the list of grantees,” he stated. “Peter held firmly to a lifetime’s commitment to the stage,” said Rogoff, “and for that alone, I continue to hold him high in my heart as a major twentieth-century dramatist.”

05 Sir Peter Shaffer

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In Memoriam Eva Marie Vizy Director, Dramaturg, Educator

Eva Marie Vizy ’72 passed away peacefully in her native city of Budapest on September 21, 2021, at the age of 84. An intelligent and versatile theater maker, Vizy was one of the early artistic directors of Yale Cabaret, where she directed dark, absurdist comedies by the

After performing and stage managing in summer stock, Vizy arrived in New Haven to refine her protean talents. She appeared in the Rep’s 1968 production of Three Sisters as the Prozorov’s elderly nurse Anfisa. The following year she directed a production of Hughie, splitting the character of Erie in Eugene O’Neill’s heavily one-sided twohander among three actors: Henry Winkler ’70, Charles Turner ’70, and Douglass M. Everhart ’70. She also participated in a panel discussion with Gordon Rogoff YC ’52 (Faculty Emeritus) and the Living Theatre’s Judith Malina, among others, which was printed in the Spring 1969 volume of volume of yale/theater (now Theatre) magazine. After Yale, Vizy dedicated herself to teaching. She chaired the theater department at Wheaton College in the 1970s, later teaching at Wells College and Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Returning to her homeland in 1999, she joined the faculty of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest and dramaturged at the National Theatre of Hungary. She is survived by her son, A. Dylan Vizy, his wife, Linda “Roxanne,” and three grandchildren.

Gary Waldhorn Actor

01 Eva Marie Vizy ’72 02 Gary Waldhorn ’67

likes of Ionesco. She simultaneously served as the artistic director for Sunday Experiments, a monthly series of “new works in search of production,” from 1970 to 1972. Born in 1937, Vizy immigrated to the U.S. at age 19 to escape the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. With her bachelor’s in acting from the Hungarian National Repertory in hand, she enrolled in the University of Miami’s newly formed graduate directing program, where she directed plays by Genet, Saroyan, and Williams on her way to earning an MA.

Gary Waldhorn ’67 passed away of natural causes on January 10, 2022, at the age of 78. Best known for his performance as the stuffed-shirt local politician and parish leader David Horton on the BBC’s The Vicar of Dibley, Waldhorn was a versatile performer who, in the words of his son, 01 Josh, “leaves a 02 legacy of

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In Memoriam entertainment that saw him frequent the boards of Broadway, the West End, and our living rooms on the telly.” Waldhorn was born in London in 1943 to Liselotte and Siegfried Waldhorn, Austrian Jews who escaped to England in 1938. He received his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1962 and performed with summer stock theaters in the Midwest before moving to New York City. At Yale, Waldhorn met his future wife, director, choreographer, and author Christie Dickason ’67. The two appeared in a 1966 student production of Peer Gynt. That October, Dickason directed Waldhorn in a workshop of Pinter’s The Birthday Party. Dickason and Waldhorn married in 1967. They welcomed their son in 1970. “Gary was in his third year when I was in my second; he was what I wanted to be. He had that Richard Burton voice and rakish good looks and a kind a raffish charm and sense of humor,” shares David Ackroyd ’68. “I remember his performance as Macheath in The Beggars’ Opera. It was in the Ex, and I was part of the stage crew. I watched every performance in complete awe of his talent and charisma. He was just so damned delightful to watch.” A noted Shakespearean, Waldhorn performed regularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He appeared in the RSC’s 1982 Broadway transfer Good by C.P. Taylor. His other credits include numerous productions at the National Theatre, the Old Vic, and theaters throughout the West End. Few genres escaped his abilities. Waldhorn lent his vocal talents to national ad campaigns for quintessential British brands like Marmite and the pickled chutney Branston. He appeared in several classic British sitcoms, such as Brush Strokes and the sketch show French and Saunders, from the late 1960s to 2020. Waldhorn is survived by his wife, his son, and two grandchildren, Cooper and Bayley.

Geoffrey Johnson Casting Director

Geoffrey Johnson ’55, an acclaimed Broadway casting director whose credits include Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Dreamgirls, and many more, passed away on November 26, 2021. He was 91. Johnson was born in New York City in 1930 and raised in Larchmont, New York. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received his MFA from the School of Drama in 1955. His original plan was to act, and he made his Broadway debut in the 1956 production of Shaw’s Saint Joan. Acting was not to be his final theatrical calling, however, and his talents in other areas were soon recognized. He became a highly regarded stage manager and worked on the Broadway shows Oliver!, Cactus Flower, and I Do! I Do!. In 1961, Noël Coward hired him to manage the musical Sail Away. It was the beginning of a professional friendship that would last until the playwright’s death in 1973. Johnson later served as a trustee of the Noël Coward Foundation. In 1975, Johnson and his business partner, Vincent Liff, formed what would become one of the most successful casting agencies on Broadway. Over the following 25 years, Johnson-Liff was responsible for the casting of more than 150 Broadway productions and touring companies, among them some of the biggest hits in Broadway

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03 Geoffrey Johnson ’55

In Memoriam goal of establishing a scholarship for actors,” said Deborah Berman, Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, “I was touched by his heartfelt generosity. Through this gift he expressed his deep and abiding love for the School and how he wanted to pull the most important parts of his life together to ensure that others had the chance to pursue a career in the theater.” Geoffrey Johnson was predeceased by his partner, Jerry Hogan; his brother, Alfred; sister, Patricia Johnson Friedman; and nephew Craig. He is survived by many loving nieces and nephews and friends throughout the industry. 04

04 A collage of show posters from a selection of casting director Geoffrey Johnson’s ’55 Broadway credits. 05 Gil Wechsler ’67

history. In addition to those mentioned above, they managed the casting for The Wiz, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Guys and Dolls, Sunset Boulevard, and The Producers, as well as the plays Equus, The Elephant Man, Amadeus, and The Dresser. The company worked frequently with Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Cameron Mackintosh, Trevor Nunn, and Harold Prince. In 2003, Johnson and Liff received a Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre and a Drama Desk Award for Career Achievement. Alan Brodie, Chair of the Noël Coward Foundation, recalled, “Geoffrey loved his time at Yale. He said it changed his life, and though he realized early on that he wouldn’t make it as an actor, it was the School of Drama that cemented his love of theater and gave him the foundation to become a hugely successful casting director.” He added, “It was Geoffrey’s love of Yale, and the importance he placed on the education of young people, along with his dedication to Noël Coward, which led to the gift for teaching a series of Noël Coward master classes at Yale, which the Foundation was very proud to support.” “When Geoffrey approached me about donating his cherished collection of Noël Coward paintings to the School, with the

Gil Wechsler Lighting Designer

Lighting designer Gil Wechsler ’67 passed away on July 9, 2021. He was 79. Gil was the Metropolitan Opera’s first resident lighting designer, and 05 during his 20 years at the Met he created lighting designs for over 112 productions, including iconic performances of La Bohème, Carmen, Turandot, Tosca, and The Marriage of Figaro, as well as many televised “Live from the Met” broadcasts. Gilbert Wechsler was born in 1942 in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before transferring to New York University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in theater. In 1967, he received his MFA from the School of Drama. After graduation, Gil went to work for the well-known lighting and set designer Jo Mielziner. Among Gil’s Broadway credits

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In Memoriam were lighting for Charles Dryer’s Staircase and George Feydeau’s There’s One in Every Marriage. Before joining the Met in 1976, he designed lights for the Guthrie Theater, the Harkness Ballet, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Stratford Festival in Ontario. At the Met, Gil was responsible for a number of innovations—things we take for granted today. He created a precise log of lighting plots and cues for each opera so that productions could be easily restaged, and he also installed the Met’s first computerized light board. Gil’s designs produced dramatic effects— moonlight, fire, falling snow—but his idea of design was more than just technical wizardry. In a 1978 New York Times article, Gil shared his viewpoint: “The basic idea,” he said, “is that the performing arts are cooperative enterprises. A single person’s contribution should not make or break a show.” His last production at the Met was Verdi’s La Forza del Destino in 1996. Gil had a passion for travel, and after retirement, he made his way around the globe with his husband, artist Douglas Sardo—from parasailing in Tahiti to crossing Drake’s Passage to Antarctica. Wherever they went, Gil’s indomitable spirit of adventure lighted the way. Gil is survived by Doug, and a brother, Norman.

James O. Barnhill Professor, Actor, Director

James O. Barnhill ’54, YC ’47, Professor Emeritus at Brown University, passed away on October 16, 2021, at the age of 99. Kate Burton ’82 remembers this extraordinary teacher and man of the theater. At Brown, Professor James O. Barnhill was always known as “The Great JO.” A magnificent teacher of acting and a great listener, he was a man of a few crystalline words. He had a profound influence on his theater students and shepherded many to

Juilliard, Tisch, and UCSD, as well as to his beloved alma mater, Yale. Always imparting starkly true advice, his standard response when we told him of our acceptance to the Drama School was, “Well, how about that!”, implying that it was a true accomplishment and hard won and should never be taken for granted. We also knew that he was fiercely proud of us and that his impact as a teacher had helped us get in. Director and professor

Rob Barron ’83 quotes Jim as saying during a rehearsal, “We have all the words, now let’s get them in the right order!”…so, here we go. Jim became my first acting teacher when I took his legendary foundational acting class, Theater Arts 23/24. He guided me through Blanche DuBois in class, directed me as Sara Melody in A Touch of the Poet, played my father in The Rainmaker, allowed me to assist him when he directed, and finally gave me the honor of directing his brilliant performance as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Through all these experiences, he created a powerful world of theatrical invention with his constructively critical and unsentimental eye. Jim was born in rural Mississippi in 1922 and in 2020, at age 98, was honored for his

06 James O. Barnhill ’54, YC ’47 teaching at Brown University in 1979. Photo by Nina Jacobson. 07 James O. Barnhill performing on stage.

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In Memoriam Navy service in WWII. After receiving a BA in International Relations from Yale College in 1947, he returned to Yale in 1952 to attend the Drama School, planning on a career in the professional theater. He then went to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, for what he thought was a short stint and remained for 30 years. According to his lifelong friend, Brown Professor Emeritus John Emigh (Former Faculty), Jim “was the heart, soul and guiding force for theater at Brown, championing the study of arts as an engine for creativity.” Some of his many accomplishments at Brown include spearheading the creation of the Department of Theater, Speech and Dance, serving as its first chairperson, forging a link with Tougaloo College, recruiting George Bass to found Rites and Reason Theatre, and acting as one of three original incorporators of the thenfledgling Trinity Repertory Company. The late Don Wilmeth, another colleague at Brown, once said, “Jim’s vision of what was possible, and his equanimity and resourcefulness when obstacles to that vision arose, were essential.” After retirement, Jim pursued his passionate interests in the fine and performing arts, never stopped mentoring his students, and continued to lecture all over the world. His home at 81 Transit Street was always an unmissable stop on our returns to Providence. Often coming to see me perform in Boston and NYC, Jim reported to me (in his unflinching style) on my Hedda Gabler: “You were relaxed, and you were true; I had not expected that!” Actress Eve Gordon ’81 reports that he would often travel long distances to see her and never stopped giving her notes. One of my treasured moments was going to see my son Morgan Ritchie in A Lie of the Mind at Brown and making out the form of my beloved JO in the darkness watching Morgan, too…saying to me afterward, “Isn’t he something?” Treasuring his meticulously handwritten notes, Rob and Eve and I are just a few of the 50

legions of Jim’s students who thank him silently every time we step on stage or direct a play or design a set or teach our students. Other Brown students in Jim’s life who came to Yale include James Naughton ’70, John Lee Beatty ’73, Paul Moser ’84, and Sasha Emerson ’84. That we would follow in his footsteps and go to his beloved Yale School of Drama was yet another thread to bind us to him. We are all immensely richer because of Jim.

Melissa Yandell Smith Actor, Professor by David Keith ’82

I met Melissa Smith ’82, YC ’79 at the Xerox machine on the second floor of the Drama School the first week of school in the fall of 1979. I was doing a work study job in the registrar’s office down the hall. I thought this young woman was very special, but our first date didn’t occur for another several weeks when I invited her to join me at a Yale Film Society showing of one of my favorite films. I had lived in New York City for seven years before drama school and frequented the small, downtown movie theaters where films like this one, Pink Flamingos, directed by John Waters, were popular. About 20 minutes into the movie, Melissa leaned into me and whispered, “Is this really your favorite film?” After that experience, either baffled, curious, or just willing to throw herself off a cliff, she continued to go out with me for another 42 years. We enjoyed so many different experiences together at the Drama School, never anticipating how long our memories would resonate, nor how many of our classmates would continue to play such important parts in our lives. In class Melissa performed the role of a sickly village girl who was healed by the pastor, diligently played by myself; I directed her in an independent production of Wallace Shawn’s Summer Evening in a small space over the GPSCY Bar; we worked

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In Memoriam

08 together again in Shawn’s Marie and Bruce which succeeded in luring Mr. Shawn up from New York; and we entertained ourselves delightedly in the ample time we spent offstage in the Yale Rep’s production of Timon of Athens, featuring James Earl Jones HON ’82. I envied her aching radiance as Sonya in Uncle Vanya. We spent two glorious and hectic summers in Barnstable, Massachusetts, with the Atlantic Theater Company. We partied, danced, disagreed, picked raspberries together, hunted for lost car keys at the beach, tried our cooking out on each other, laughed, shared books, movies, life stories, music, and ourselves. We married, finally, in 1985. She was the one. She was always the one. For Melissa, a life in New York City was inevitable. She had dreamed about it, predicted it as a child to her brother and sister. From the beginning, the reality of life in New York was thrilling for her; the possibilities, the energy, the freedom, and the drama of trying to achieve a life as a working actor. But that reality also included having her head split open by a burglar in the stairwell of our Bronx apartment, the denial of the gift of conception, and the facts

of life living with a fantasist. But Melissa was not one to escape from reality. She could look straight at it and find a route. She worked as a paralegal in a small legal office, taught acting to teenagers in Honolulu, stood naked in an Off-OffBroadway production of David Greenspan’s Dog in a Dancing School, fell off the stage and into the audience in a production of Dracula in Buffalo, New York, and graced two wonderful productions by Mac Wellman. And we would move and move and move again until we found an ideal home in the West Village. And then the wonder of an infant son, Owen, was granted to us, born in Yale New Haven Hospital. New responsibilities led Melissa to take on new challenges. She would not accept only being a recipient of circumstance. She insisted that change was possible, that despair was “only the weather, not the sky.” Her leadership of Princeton University’s Program in Theater and Dance led to an offer of the position of Conservatory Director at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco where she spent the next 25 years learning, refining, and inhabiting one of her greatest roles. She learned the gestures and costumes, the grace notes of humor and insistence, the entrances and finally, the exit. Throughout her career as a teacher and administrator, Melissa continued to perform at Princeton University, Berkley Repertory Theater, Birmingham Repertory Theatre in England, the Barbican Centre in London, California Shakespeare Festival, and ACT. She especially treasured her work on the projects she dove into with her MFA students at the Conservatory. Her final performance was a memorable scene as Frances McDormand’s ’82 sister in the Oscar-winning film Nomadland. Melissa made a definitive bourbon Manhattan. Melissa smoked one cigarette a year. Melissa made an exquisite oyster pie and a heavenly chess pie.

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08 Melissa Smith ’82, YC ’79

In Memoriam

09 Andrei Belgrader (Former Faculty) (standing fourth from left) with the cast of Scapin at Yale Repertory Theatre. Photo courtesy of Walker Jones ’89.

In San Francisco after 20 years as Conservatory Director, with a home and a cabin in the woods, with the gift of an emerging, grown son and the same grateful husband, reality presented her with a diagnosis of cancer. She lived for another six years. Several months ago, I flew back to Louisville, Kentucky, for a memorial service that had been organized by her family and friends. Melissa had left Louisville for Yale in 1975, and although she never lived there again, she carried Kentucky with her and was always ready to coach any willing soul in the proper pronunciation of her hometown: Loo-uh-vull. As I tried to prepare some words that I could share at the service, I thought of all the geographic and psychic journeys Melissa had made in her life, confronting feelings of dislocation, of not belonging, of facing insurmountable obstacles, of living with a terminal illness, and I thought of how she was carried forward by her strength and determination. Melissa’s unforgettable smile and voice and laugh hid a powerful will. In her personal and professional life, she learned how to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. She thrived on the energizing force of change. At the service, faces appeared before me with names I had heard all my life with Melissa, middle school and high school friends who still carried memories of her, imprinted by that smile and voice and spirit. She was so present in that space that I was stunned when someone handed me a program for the service and I read: In Memoriam: Melissa Yandell Smith (June 8, 1957-September 7, 2021). In the last few months of her life, Melissa looked at her end squarely, honestly, with fear, but with curiosity as well. She was and is her most dazzling and lasting creation. Somewhere still near us. Still blazing away.

Andrei Belgrader Director and Teacher

Andrei Belgrader (Former Faculty), an acclaimed theater director and distinguished teacher of acting, passed away on February 22, 2022, from lung cancer. He was 75. Born in 1946 in Romania, Belgrader attended the Institute of Theatre and Film in Bucharest. In the late 1970s, he left then Communist-ruled Romania for New York,

09 where he took a job driving a cab to improve his English. His early theater productions were seen by Robert Brustein ’51, HON ’66 (Former Dean) who recruited him to direct at Yale Rep and teach at the School. Belgrader served as a member of the faculty from 1979 to 1992 where he was beloved by the acting and directing students that he worked with. In a tribute to Andrei in American Theatre magazine John Turturro ’83 recalled, “The relaxing, imaginative, play-room atmosphere he created made the class completely different from our other classes and not at all competitive. He was a breath of fresh air, interested in who we were and what we could create.” Belgrader’s innovative and often irreverent theater productions brought a unique perspective to the Rep. Among them were Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Ubu Rex

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In Memoriam by Alfred Jarry, What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton, Moon Over Miami by John Guare, featuring Tony Shalhoub ’80, and Troilus and Cressida, with Turturro. In 1991, he translated and adapted Molière’s Scapin with Shelley Berc ’83 and directed the production featuring Stanley Tucci in the lead role, with music and lyrics by Rusty Magee HON ’81. After Yale, Belgrader taught at the University of California San Diego, the USC School of Dramatic Arts, and served as the head of the directing department at Juilliard. He worked in film and television, but is best known for his work as a director at some of the country’s leading regional theaters. In addition to the Rep, he directed at A.R.T., the Goodman Theatre, Seattle Rep, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. His production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at A.R.T. starred Mark LinnBaker ’79, YC ’76 as Vladimir and Tony Shalhoub in the role of Pozzo. He directed John Turturro opposite Dianne Wiest, in The Cherry Orchard at CSC in 2011, a production The New York Times called “heartbreakingly funny” and named as one of the 10 best plays of the year. Belgrader’s impact on Yale Drama students continued long after his time at the School. Designer Michael Locher ’08 recalled: “Before attending Yale, I’d been an undergrad at UC San Diego in the late 90s, where Andrei was a fixture. Without a doubt his joyous, irreverent take helped shatter my preconception that theater was a stuffy, stale form that had no room for me.” Andrei Belgrader is survived by his wife, Caroline Hall, daughter, Grace, and sister, Mariana Augustin.

Farewell James O. Barnhill ’54, YC ’47 / 10.16.2021 Andrei Belgrader (Former Faculty) / 2.22.2022 Albert Brenner ’60 / 2.8.2020 Reverend Robert J. Donnelly ’64 / 10.24.2021 Sally (Bianchi) Foster ’53 / 1.11.2022 Neil Gluckman ’92 / 11.7.2021 Phillip Ward Hyde ’66 / 1.20.2021 Geoffrey A. Johnson ’55 / 11.26.2021 Roger L. Kenvin ’59, DFA ’61 / 11.8.2021 Mildred C. Kuner ’47 / 11.6.2021 Henry E. Lowenstein ’56 / 10.2014 Craig T. Martin ’71 / 12.2020 Donald Adams May ’53 / 1.28.2022 Ronald A. Mielech ’60 / 9.16.2018 Marion Villani Myrick ’54 / 3.5.2022 Frank D. Newman ’66 / 6.4.2021 Sara Ormond ’66 / 1.7.2021 Stephen O. Saxe ’54 / 4.28.2019 Forrest E. Sears ’58 / 1.26.2022 Bradford W. Smith ’87 / 10.22.2021 Melissa Yandell Smith ’82, YC ’79 / 9.7.2021 Eva Marie Vizy ’72 / 9.1.2021 Gary Waldhorn ’67 / 1.10.2022 Gil Wechsler ’67 / 7.9.2021 Alan J. Weiner ’83 / 12.26.2021 Stanley E. Wiklinski ’70 / 4.2021

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Alumni Notes 1940s Joan Kron ’48 writes: “The past year has been a busy one. Zooming with my kids, grandkids, and great-grand kids got me through the loneliness of the pandemic. But despite my Golden Girl status—I’m almost 94—I enjoy my latest career, documentary filmmaking, too much to stop. Take My Nose…Please!, my documentary about comediennes and plastic surgery, won festival prizes and just ended its run on Hulu. I knew a lot about Botox, so choosing a follow-up project was easy. It’s Weapon of Beauty: The Cloak and Dagger History of Botox and the Secret U.S. Bio-Warfare Program that Gave Birth to It. I am also the film’s on-screen narrator, a role I could never have imagined at Yale, when I suffered terrible stage fright. I was cured after Michael Stewart ’53 insisted that I play a flapper in his forerunner to Hello Dolly! After graduation I joined the United Scenic Artists Union 829. Now I have to join SAG. Hopefully, Weapon of Beauty will allow me to check off the penultimate item on my bucket list—joining the Producers Guild.”

1950s Amnon Kabatchnik’s ’57 reference book Sherlock Holmes on the Stage (originally published in 2008 and still in print), has just been published in Israel in a Hebrew translation. The book focuses on plays written or co-written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’s creator, one-act productions, and plays written by other authors, including plot synopses, production details, biographical sketches of the playwrights and actors who made a lasting expression as the fictional sleuth. ● Vienna Cobb Anderson ’58 took up painting during the COVID-19 lockdown. In her first gallery show, she sold six paintings in one week. ● Gordon Micunis ’59 would be delighted to hear from old friends and fellow students. He is currently painting, attending New York theater, and enjoying its museums and galleries. He is planning to return to Santa Fe next summer for 54

01 Joan Kron ’48. Photo by Ramona Rosales. 02 Amnon Kabatchnik ’57

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03 Hebrew translation of Sherlock Holmes on the Stage by Amnon Kabatchnik ’57 04 Painting by Vienna Cobb Anderson ’58

Alumni Notes another season of the opera which he helped found in 1957.

1960s Helen Yalof ’60 writes: “What a year this was! I was featured in the Peacock comedy special, Good Timing With Jo Firestone. The show received incredible national media. Alas, most of my good stuff ended up on the cutting room floor (sigh). But I was able to repeat my comedy monologue on a video podcast, and host Linda Marcus did laugh a lot! (Bless her!). I directed my own new short comedy play, The Ski Lovers Dating App in December 2021, I will be appearing in a Harry L. Newton 19thcentury Vaudeville sketch called Strenuous Name, the Bowery Girl: A Vaudeville Cocktail. I get to play Mame, a Bowery/Brooklyn kind of Liza Doolittle (Gotta relearn my Brooklyn accent quick!). Happy well wishes to all of you!” ● Patricia Cochrane ’62 hosts “Pat’s Picks,” a popular club at the Atwater Memorial Library in New Branford, CT, where she presents her favorite movies. Some of her most popular choices have been Arsenic and Old Lace, The Gods Must Be Crazy, and recently, The Witness. Pat loves the post-show discussions. ● James Berton Harris ’66 writes: “During the early stay-in-place days of the pandemic, I was at home sitting on the couch with pad, pen, and popcorn watching 22 Betty Grable films from Whoopee! (1930) to How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). This guiltypleasure research project resulted in writing and publishing my second book. I call it a ‘bio-novel,’ others call it ‘historical fiction.’ Six Degrees of Betty Grable: Movies, Music, and Murder is an abridged version of Grable’s life story told by six fictional characters whose lives were touched by the famous pin-up girl. On to the next—Three Wives Are Three Too Many, a novel filled with mystery, murder, and movie trivia.” ● Dyanne Asimow ’67 writes: “My new novel, Canaries, is now available online and in bookstores—check it out! I am thrilled that the audiobook will be coming out soon.” ● Ray Klausen ’67 recently published a book about his career, Behind

05 Tom Moore ’68 (center) making the final speech at the celebration when Grease became the longest running show on Broadway. 06 Dyanne Asimow ’67 with Canaries hot off the press. Photo by Ronda GomezQuinones 07 Helen Yalof ’60 in The Comedy of Errors at the Drama School in 1960.

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Alumni Notes 08 Jim Metzner ’69 recording sounds of nature. 09 Susan Horowitz ’69 on the set of Boxed In. She starred in the film and composed the theme song.

10 Six Degrees of Betty Grable by J.B. Harris ’66. 11 Actor and puppeteer Jenne Vath as Gepetta and the voice of Sabine in For the Lost Children of Paris by Carrie Robbins ’67. Puppet design by Chung Ore/ Robbins. Photo by Emily Hewitt Photography.

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the Scenes: From Hollywood to Broadway. It is available on Amazon as an e-book and paperback. Ray designed the sets for over 425 shows both in theater and television and has some great stories to tell. ● Robert Lawler ’67 writes: “On an ordinary evening, you might hear a whisper: / Life goes on, and death is expected. / As in a season of Autumn, the soldier falls. / As in a season of Autumn, the soldier falls, / And the clouds go, nevertheless, / In their own direction. / A serious invader of my being might imagine himself an Archimedes working out geometric proofs on the sands of Syracuse beaches (expecting the Roman cavalry attack), but the honest slacker would join Li Po with saki under a flowering plum tree. The scientist knows every atom of our physical being was born in the violent glory of a supernova explosion. Stardom? It is the first condition of our being. All of us are blessed. Anon, a student of some indeterminate year.” ● Carrie Robbins ’67 spent the second year on her current play, For the Lost Children of Paris, refining the text, making a fourth doll (with help of her talented friend from Peru) and learning how to manipulate Bunraku style puppets. Carrie and the cast will be designing, dressing, and integrating six more puppet “classmates” into the play and hopefully filming before the end of the year. ● Tom Moore ’68, along with Adrienne Barbeau and Ken Waissman, compiled and edited Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More: Stories from the Broadway Phenomenon that Started It All, a compilation book of memories by the famous and not so famous who made it happen (with 250 photos). It will be published by the Chicago Review Press to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Broadway production in the summer of 2022. ● Lonnie Carter ’69 writes: “My daughter, Calpurnia, is doing research on public housing, especially where it really began—Chicago, her father’s hometown.” ● Susan Horowitz ’69, also known as Dr. Sue, is the author of Queens of Comedy, creator of Switch: The Musical, and a singer-songwriter-actress-speakereducator. Her goals are to stay creatively alive and produce with positive communication and friendship.

Alumni Notes The Library of Congress has acquired Jim Metzner’s ’69 archive, spanning 45 years of sound recordings from around the world—thousands of soundscapes, interviews, and radio programs.

●

1970s Rick Berlin ’70, YC ’67 writes: “I was ‘art’ busy during the shutdown. I recorded two records—7 Songs and The Cha Cha Club—and self-published my second book, The Big Balloon (A Love Story), which are all available on my website berlinrick.com. I’m super proud of all three, triggered perhaps by the Joni Mitchell syndrome—when ‘in love,’ a torrent of inspiration. I spent so many hours in front of my computer that my legs swelled up, and I had to wear compression socks. Not much else to report. The work, at least to me, speaks for itself.” ● Andy Friedlander ’70 writes: “I had the opportunity to connect this year with several classmates in a sort of minireunion over Zoom. Included in the group was Stanley ‘Stash’ Wiklinski ’70, who had given me the music to a countrytype love song he had written. I play in a bluegrass band and enlisted our banjo player to join me, and we sang and played the tune during our last Zoom session. It was wonderful to see how pleased Stash was with our rendition of ‘Where Did We Go Wrong?’ The experience took on enormous significance for me when Stash passed away a few days later. I am so lucky to have been able to sing his song which has since become a regular part of the repertoire of the band.” ● Charles Siegel ’70 writes: “During lockdown, I have been keeping myself busy writing. I have followed up the piece I wrote a few years back, The Reputation of Lady Mary: A Theatre Piece about Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, with another Masterpiece Theater sort of piece about William Morris, the Victorian designer. I wrote it as a one-man show to perform myself. I was a bit young to play him when I started it, and now I am a bit too old—but, oh, well. After a long dry spell, I have started picking up a few acting gigs, playing ‘older

couples’ with my wife. We did an episode of Charmed together, and then a Hallmark movie called Love by the Book. She hasn’t acted at all since she was in college, but she is very good.” ● Barnet Kellman ’72 continues as founder/co-director of USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts. He had the privilege and terrible luck to be the chair of the 800-student Production Division during the first year of COVID, trying to keep learning and production going and everyone safe. ● America’s Boating Channel, now in its fifth season under the direction of Marty Lafferty ’72, was honored by the International Trade Council in the Go Global Awards 2021 with a Top Placer Award. ● Femi Euba ’73 writes: “My memoir, Experiencing WS, was published in January 2021. It traverses my accomplishments from the rookie years as an actor in Nigeria, through experiences on the professional London stage and the BBC radio, and my years at Yale, to becoming a director and a scholar. The WS of the title implicates both Wole Soyinka, my mentor, and William Shakespeare, one of my influences in playwriting.” ● John Shea ’73 is artistic director emeritus of the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket. His most recent film as writer/director is Grey Lady, and his next is The Junkie Priest. He sends special thanks to Robert Brustein ’51 HON ’66 (Former Dean) and his School of Drama mentors. ● David Stifel ’74 writes: “I’m writing this from my hotel in Seattle—we are on the final leg of the Eagles 2021 Hotel California tour. I am ‘The Night Man’ who starts the concert. Between concert engagements, I have been working non-stop as an audiobook narrator—and I’m about to start a mammoth 60-hour project—a two volume study of FDR by James MacGregor Burns. Over 200 titles completed to date. Life’s been good to me so far.” ● James F. Ingalls’s ’75 recent lighting designs include Twyla Now! (NYCC) with costumes designed by Santo Loquasto ’72, Three Short Comedies by Sean O’Casey (DRUID/ Galway), Anima Animus choreographed by David Dawson (La Scala), Raymonda (Dutch National Ballet), and a revival of Mark Morris’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il

Moderato (BAM). ● William Otterson ’76 writes: “In A Parable for Winter I play the Old Man with bad advice for two brothers who might be his grandsons. It was just awarded Best of Festival at the Show Low Film Festival in Arizona. Next up is A Good Cop, a new series to premiere in 2022 on NTD, I play the main character’s retired NYPD detective partner and in Sixes & Sevens I’m a former cowboy movie star. And I’m back producing ballet films for the George Balanchine Foundation at Lincoln Center after an 18-month hiatus, now with five HD cameras.” ● Edith Tarbescu ’76 sold her novel One Will: Three Wives to Adelaide Books. It’s available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her memoir, Beyond Brooklyn, will be published by the same publisher in Spring 2022. It incorporates Edith’s short plays, all of which were produced in regional theaters and NYC. ● Susan Vitucci ’76 has served as Acting Executive Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre for the past two years. ● Ryan Scott Yuille ’77 writes from the Capitol Theatre in Aberdeen, South Dakota: “We are back to doing live theater. After a year of virtual programming, it is great to have audiences in the seats!” ● Producing Artistic Director Roy Bennett Steinberg ’78 presented a season of indoor Equity theater at Cape May Stage in 2021 including the world premiere of Adopt a Sailor: The Holiday Edition by Charles Evered ’91. ● Robert Gulack’s ’78, LAW ’91 new play, Star Chamber, which shows Shakespeare on trial for his role in the Essex Uprising of 1601, was presented online as a successful fundraiser for the Shakespeare Forum in NYC, a non-profit bringing the Bard to underserved communities. His short story, “I Know Why the Caged World Sings,” was included in a recent collection of short fiction available at behindthevision. com. ● Patricia Norcia ’78 writes: “It has been a busy year here at Idlenot Farm. With COVID, people rode in dressage more than ever—a safe, outdoor sport and art form. I am currently working on production of Carmen with Opera Theatre of CT. It will feature beautiful dancing horses on sand at High Hopes in Old Lyme, CT.

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Alumni Notes

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Alumni Notes 12 Moving Scenery: A Memoir by Adrianne Lobel ’79. 13 Andy Friedlander ’70. Photo by Ariel. 14 Barnet Kellman ’72. Photo by Sara Cross. 15 Robert Gulack ’78, LAW ’91 16 Edith Tarbescu ’76 17 Cover art for Rick Berlin’s ’70, YC ’67 new album, The Cha Cha Club. 18 Marty Lafferty ’72 on location for America’s Boating Channel. 19 William Otterson ’76 on the set of Sixes & Sevens. Photo by Ryan Hammaker.

Nothing like going to rehearsal with my horse!” ● During the summer of 2021, Dick Zigun ’78 was featured on CBS Sunday Morning and was profiled in Brooklyn Magazine’s inaugural 50 Most Fascinating People list. ● Adrianne Lobel ’79 writes: “My memoir is going to be published in the next couple of months and should be available at a drama bookstore near you! Look out for Moving Scenery: A Memoir. It is being published by The Scenographer and will be fully illustrated. I’m excited!”

1980

Mark Bly ’80 led and moderated the Keynote Panel for the 2021 Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas “Without Borders: Dramaturgy in the New Decade” conference in a digital international forum. As co-founder and program coordinator for the Kennedy Center Dramaturgy Intensive, he led a series of workshops partnering with LMDA featuring the foremost dramaturgs in the United States. Mark also conducted playwriting workshops for the Kennedy Center during its 50th anniversary. ● John Gould Rubin ’80 will be directing a production of King Lear with Joe Morton at the Wallis Annenberg Center in L.A. this coming spring. Sets will be designed by Chris Barreca ’83 and lights by Stephen Strawbridge ’83 (Faculty). ● Geoff Pierson ’80 joins the cast of The List, an indie comedy from director Melissa Miller Costanzo. Geoff will next be seen opposite Chris Pratt in the Amazon series The Terminal List. ● Alec Scribner ’80 writes: “After a two-year search, Aimee, my wife, and I found a home in Santa Barbara. Both being retired from Disney, it was time for a smaller community, cleaner air, and better weather. So, we are official ‘Santa Barbarians.’ Secondly, I begin a mentoring program with a junior at Rollins College, my undergraduate alma mater. Should be fun!” ● Jeff Natter ’81 writes: “After three decades in the HIV/AIDS and public health fields, I’m finally retired and getting back into acting. My time at the Drama School was often emotionally painful, but it

certainly made me a better actor.” ● Laura Ross ’81 is the co-author of The Art of Bob Mackie, the first-ever comprehensive showcase of the legendary costume designer’s life and work, featuring hundreds of photos and sketches—many from the Mackie’s own collection—with a foreword by Carol Burnett, and an afterword by Cher. ● Robert Curtis Brown ’82, YC ’79 writes: “I figured the pandemic would sink the business for the foreseeable future, so in August of 2020 I decided to finally take my SAG pension. I have worked more since that decision than ever before with appearances on Grace and Frankie, Rutherford Falls, and recurring roles on Station 19, CSI: Vegas, and The Ms. Pat Show. Who knew? I am grateful for all of the diligence on sets, the testing plan, and the COVID compliance officers who keep the sets safe.” ● Geoff Cohen ’83 is happy to report that he is enjoying life in Brooklyn and into his third year with Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment as general manager. Many interesting projects afoot; one recent show, Mrs. McThing, a musical by Michael Colby and Jack Urbont, was directed by Karen Carpenter (Former Faculty). ● Linda-Jo Greenberg ’84 writes: “It is now 10 years since I left the theater as a profession and became an audience member and supporter. I do not miss the hours of tech, but I certainly miss the collaboration of being together in the same dark room to put it all together. At Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, I now support the executive staff, and it takes a lot of stage managing to do so. Everything I learned at the Drama School about coordinating different personalities and talents into completed projects on time is put to use every day.” ● Robert Alford ’85 directed The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh for Shreveport Little Theatre and Tidewater by Sheri Bailey for Mahogany Ensemble Theatre. ● Tamara Heeschen ’85 writes: “I’ve taken my stage management skills in a different direction for the last several years, working in Minnesota’s Office of Equity in Procurement. I coordinate all our outreach and engagement activities and assist socially and economically disadvantaged

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20 Pearce Bunting ’88 and Benjamin Lloyd ’88, YC ’85 21 The Cairn Poems by Craig Volk ’88. 22 Geoff Pierson ’80

23 BASTA! by Wendy MacLeod ’87. Photo by Federico Pitto. 24 Costume designer Bob Mackie, from The Art of Bob Mackie by Laura Ross ’81. 25 The opera adaptation of Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage ’89 (Former Faculty) will be produced at Lincoln Center. 26 Overwhelmed: The Artist in Quarantine Cleans Out Her Office, a sculpture by Beckie Kravetz ’86. Photo by Beckie Kravetz. 27 Cheryl Mintz ’87, hosting the Del Hughes Awards.

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Alumni Notes

small businesses who wish to compete in the government marketplace.” ● Gayle Maurin ’85 returned to hometown Kansas City and is working with the University of Missouri at Kansas City to create and implement an arts entrepreneurship program. Gayle writes, “My best to all, and may I call you to add your two cents worth?” ● Joe Urla ’85 blissfully lives and writes in Mamaroneck, NY, with his wonderful wife, Stephanie. His 9-year-old daughter, Silvie, is so good at accents already, it’s scary! Joe last worked on FBI: Most Wanted and is dying to be back on the boards. ● Mark Brokaw ’86 is looking forward to getting back in the rehearsal hall with the Broadway revival of How I Learned to Drive, in addition to mounting a musical tour in Australia. ● “The highlight of my year was to have two of my sculptures selected for museum exhibitions,” writes Beckie Kravetz ’86. “One was in the Land of Enchantment exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum, and the other was in Regional Portraiture Today at the D’Amor Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield, MA. The rest of the year was busy with custom mask commissions, including a project for a Netflix series (I am sworn to secrecy until it airs)! My work is online at TheMaskStudio.com.” ● Kerro Knox ’87, YC ’79 writes: “To my consternation, I have been shoved upstairs to be the interim director of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance here at Oakland University outside Detroit. COVID-19 and a building renovation are keeping me busy, while I keep lighting for two dance companies and our local LORT theater.” ● Wendy MacLeod ’87 was commissioned by the National Theater of Genoa to write a play for their G8 Project which explored police brutality at the demonstrations for the 2001 Summit in Genoa. Her play BASTA! was translated into Italian and directed by Kiara Pipino. It was inspired by the plays of Dario Fo that she saw at Yale Rep. ● Cheryl Mintz ’87 found her pandemic pivot turned into co-creating the company princetonVIRTUAL.com. During the pandemic the team collaborated on over 30 virtual and live projects. Cheryl is an adjunct professor in stage management

at Montclair State University and this year was host, producer, and event chair of the Del Hughes Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Stage Management. Personally, Cheryl is enjoying this opportunity for bonus time with her son, Jake, who is a junior at Princeton High School. Cheryl and her husband, Harris, traveled extensively this past summer visiting 17 National Parks out west and along the East Coast. Traveling during the upcoming year will revolve around touring university campuses as Jake pursues architectural studies. ● David Moore, Jr. ’87 writes: “I’ve returned to the painting I’d set aside after college, and in past five years have enjoyed three exhibits in Minneapolis, with another scheduled for 2022. I’ll always be a ‘theater man,’ however, and today the most rewarding role by far that I play in this community is as trustee for the Guthrie Theater. The same grueling pain and challenges of COVID-19 and decolonization challenge this company as every other around the world. Leadership is truly superb— inspiring—and slowly the theater is re-emerging with integrity, returning to fresh interpretations from multiple canons while testing good new programs based in local Black and Indigenous communities.” ● Rick Butler ’88 writes: “We were deeply saddened at the passing of Ming Cho Lee HON ’20. His genius lives on through the work of his students. It was the greatest honor to have studied and worked with him.” ● Benjamin Lloyd ’88, YC ’85 writes: “Pearce Bunting ’88 and I began doing longform improvisation over Zoom with each other in the summer of 2020. We now have an hour-long show called ‘This Could Take a While…’ which we are looking to put up live in small venues! Any suggestions?” ● Bernardo Solano ’88 writes: “I’m in my 20th year at Cal Poly Pomona and 10th as chair of the Theatre and New Dance department. Enjoying writing, directing, and trying to keep up with the newest generations of theater makers.” ● Craig Volk ’88 wrote a new collection of poems that was published in Copenhagen. ● Lynn Nottage ’89 (Former Faculty) will have three productions in

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34 35 28 Ed Blunt ’99 at American Airlines Arena. 29 Lars Klein ’99 30 Olusegun (Segun) Ojewuyi ’98. Photo courtesy of Southern Illinois University.

31 Jim Hart ’99 32 Marilyn Salinger ’90 and family. 33 One-Hour Shakespeare by Julie Fain Lawrence-Edsell ’93.

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Alumni Notes New York this season. Her play Clyde’s, produced by Second Stage Theater, performs on Broadway. She has also written the libretto to the Broadway musical MJ. Lastly, she’s written the libretto to the opera adaptation of her play Intimate Apparel, to be produced at Lincoln Center. ● Shay Wafer ’89 writes: “32 years since graduating and I’m still working to support arts organizations that center artists of African descent. Currently with WACO (Where Art Can Occur) Theater Center in Los Angeles. My relationships with several classmates are still active and thriving—Yvonne Joyner Levette ’90, Andrea Smith ’89, and Kaye Neal ’91. I’m teaching a class on community engagement for Winthrop University where Robert Wildman ’83 (Former Faculty) is the director of the Arts Administration program.”

1990s

39 34 The city gate of Bethlehem designed by Doug Rogers ’96. 35 Evered House lot, Port Haywood, VA. 36 Chris Bauer ’92 and Michael Manuel ’92

37 Esther K. Chae ’99 voiced Miho in Soul. 38 A scene from The Master and the Magician by Julius Galacki ’98. 39 AFTERSHOCKS: A Tetralogy of Our Times by Magaly Colimon-Christopher ’98.

After 30 years of development and production work with Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, and other theme parks across the globe, Dw Phineas Perkins ’90 has returned to the world of theater as the director of Theatrical Production at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, FL. ● Marilyn Salinger ’90 is fighting multiple sclerosis, and the training in voice and movement at the School of Drama is part of the reason she is still walking and communicating. She volunteers through Jewish Family Services reading virtually to 1st grade students in Orange, NJ. She has a family whom she adores, husband Ross, son Dylan, and daughter Miranda. She recently saw a play directed by Mary Walden Sait ’90 and is grateful Mary is living in New Jersey. Ross was selected by SAG to screen and help choose nominees for next year’s SAG Awards. Marilyn’s favorite words are gratitude and love. ● David Sword ’90 (Former Faculty) writes: “I retired in August 2021 after 27 years at Santa Clara University as a senior lecturer and production manager/technical director in the Department of Theatre and Dance. My wife, Julie, and I recently moved from the

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Alumni Notes San Francisco Bay Area to the Willamette Valley in Oregon where we have a small farm.” ● Charles Evered ’91 is thrilled to announce that the Evered House, an artist residence for those who serve, has moved to Port Haywood, on the Eastern Coast of Virginia. Charles hopes to open a new residency house before 2023. Check out EveredHouse.org to follow his progress. On the work front, Thursdays at Four, a script based on his play Class, was recently produced. Charles writes: “I hope this finds all my classmates healthy and well.” ● Michael Manuel ’92 writes: “I started 2020 at the Pasadena Playhouse in The Father with Alfred Molina and my dear friend Sue Cremin ’95. We finished the production a week before the shutdown. I spent the rest of 2020 at home with Roxanna (Augesen) ’93 and seeing my friends on the internet. My pal Chris Bauer ’92 and I just finished working on a film. We lived together at an Airbnb battling it out on the ping pong table and laughing our asses off. I finished 2021 with my first in-person theater production in A Christmas Carol at South Coast Rep with friends Bill McGuire ’91 and Danny Blinkoff ’96. Love to all.” ● Julie Fain Lawrence-Edsell ’93 has completed volume five of her One-Hour Shakespeare series which was released November 30, 2021. ● Laura Wilts Perlow ’93 is happy to be returning to Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago as Individual Giving Director. ● Christina Sibul ’94 produced the film Butter which premiered in theaters on February 25, 2022. She also executive produced the upcoming film Monica, directed by Andrea Pallaoro and featuring Patricia Clarkson ’85. Monica is currently in post-production, and Christina is hopeful the film will be making the festival rounds in 2022. ● Bob Schneider ’94, DFA ’97 writes that it’s wonderful to be teaching in person again, but it’s still not the same. “The school is a masked ball, and our undergraduates seem disoriented and unmotivated by the pandemic. For my part, I’m writing more this year: We Seem to Be Conversing now has a second act. I sent it to the National Playwrights Festival. It was good to have something to send out 64

after three years-absence.” ● David Feiner ’95, YC ’90 writes: “Albany Park Theater Project, the company I co-founded with the late Laura Wiley ’94, has remained a vital presence in our community throughout the pandemic. Our teen ensemble came together on Zoom, offering community, connection and opportunities to learn from and create with one another in new ways. Other creative projects included an immersive theater experience that played out through the mail and a workshop where Chicago public school students and teachers devised scenes on Zoom that bore witness to the experience of remote school. Our teen and adult artists are now working in person, developing Port of Entry, an ethnographybased performance that will recreate an apartment building where immigrants from all parts of the world have made their first homes in the U.S. The creative team includes Elizabeth Mak ’16 as lighting and projections designer.” ● Alec Hammond ’96 writes: “Life is full of work and family, art and parenting, drawing, sculpture, some writing, and entirely too much work-mandated travel. On the negative side, I can’t seem to find work where I live; but on the positive side, I have been steadily employed. My oldest son, Max, is a math and gender/sexuality studies double major at Yale College. Envious of Max as he has gotten to meet with, talk to, even be employed by, or take classes from, James Bundy ’95 (Dean), Jess Goldstein ’78 (Former Faculty), Marc Robinson ’90, DFA ’92 (Faculty), Anne Tofflemire (Faculty), and other Drama School colleagues and faculty. Lucky kid!” ● Doug Rogers ’96 is currently designing the city of Bethlehem for a live action docudrama for the History Channel. It will be quite an extensive set built in the wilds of San Diego. Doug was honored to have a conceptual drawing of The Enchanted Storybook Castle that he created for Shanghai Disneyland included in the exhibition Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ● Jeff Talbott ’96 writes: “On March 13, 2020, Pioneer Theatre Company’s workshop of

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my play The Messenger was given one limited public presentation before we all scattered to the pandemic winds. It will receive its delayed world premiere at PTC in January 2022, and I feel very lucky to get to return to the world with this play that jumps off from Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People to look at how polarization in the press (and society) affects a community. That the play documents what seems to be the beginning of a pandemic is just crazy.” ● Magaly ColimonChristopher ’98 is the recipient of a City Artist Corps grant for NYC-based working artists disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The program is run by the New York Foundation for the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Magaly was recognized for AFTERSHOCKS: A Tetralogy of Our Times—a video compilation of short plays, animation, and montage art. Produced by Magaly’s company, Conch Shell Productions, it explores love and life in Caribbean American communities in New York during the pandemic. Magaly’s plays Silent Truth and The Hunting Season were O’Neill NPC semi-finalists. ● Julius Galacki ’98 writes: “My one act play A Man of Importance was selected for the Alliance of L.A. Playwrights annual play reading festival in October. I also did a public Zoom reading of my revised full-length play The Master and the Magician in May 2021. Both were directed by the author.” ● Olusegun (Segun) Ojewuyi ’98 has been appointed Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Media at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Launched in July 2021 after a universitywide reorganization of programs, the college consists of both undergraduate and graduate level programs in art and design, journalism, media arts, music, and theater and dance. Ojewuyi served as chair of the theater department from 2018-2021 and was Faculty Senate president from 2019-2020. He says the school is a “unique, forward-looking college of artiste-scholars, conceptualized and birthed by its faculty.” ● Ed Blunt ’99 continues to offer keynotes, training, and communication coaching. He is currently serving as an Ambassador of Training for a

Alumni Notes Fortune 500 company and is also opening a financial services firm. Ed just shot a commercial for Harvard (ironically) and continues to do voice over work. He says, “Yale’s training is like fine wine—when you USE IT!!” ● Esther K. Chae ’99 worked on Soul and Over the Moon as a voice over actor. Both films received Oscar nominations, and Soul won for Best Animated Film. In fall 2021, Esther started teaching acting at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts. She continues to coach executive presence and presentation skills through her company, 3 Hearts Coaching. Esther writes, “Such a relief to be with others in-person at the theater and on set. Love to all.” ● Jim Hart ’99 writes: “I’m now in my 10th year as Director of Arts Entrepreneurship at Southern Methodist University, where I help artists and creatives develop their original entrepreneurial visions. My book Classroom Exercises for Entrepreneurship: A CrossDisciplinary Approach was published by Edward Elgar Publishing.” ● Lars Klein ’99 was promoted to principal at his company, TheatreDNA. ● Graham Shiels ’99 writes: “My acting studio in Los Angeles is in its eighth year! Teaching and coaching actors has been a new blessing in addition to still working as an actor—I miss theater! I remember Wesley Fata (Faculty Emeritus) playing Joseph Campbell’s interviews with Bill Moyers where Campbell spoke of a monk in Chartres Cathedral ‘living his meditation.’ I’m lucky enough now to feel that way myself. Miss y’all 1997-2001-ers!” ● Christy Weikel ’99 writes: “After three years at Imagineering, I have made the move to Madison Square Garden working on their Sphere project in Las Vegas. For those of you who remember my son Alex skipping his way to ‘Beers’ every Friday, he is now an Air Force man soon to turn 30!!!”

2000s Edward O’Blenis ’01 is currently at the Victoria College of the Arts at the University of Melbourne teaching a

“Shakespeare to August Wilson” acting course and a comedy scene study course to the second-year musical theater students. ● Camille Benda ’02 is thrilled to share that her first book, Dressing the Resistance: The Visual Language of Protest through History, was published by Princeton Architectural Press. The book explores activism and resistance through clothing, costume, and nudity, from Ancient Roman rebellions to the Black Lives Matter movement, and everything in between. Camille is based in L.A. with her husband and 8-year-old daughter. ● Courtney DiBello ’02 writes: “I am happy to be closer to normal at the Oklahoma City Ballet. Our full season of productions just started with a bang. I also love all the mentorship opportunities that my assistant professor position at Oklahoma City University affords me. Family is doing well. Oldest is about to start driving…gulp.” ● Scott Bolman ’03 has moved to the West Coast and is teaching lighting design at Cal State Fullerton. His first local show as a SoCal resident will be JOY by Ate9 Dance Company at the Wallis Center in Los Angeles. Scott is collaborating with colleagues from Wingspace Design Collective on the design for the U.S. National Exhibit for the Prague Quadrennial in 2023. ● Sandra Goldmark ’04, Michael Banta ’03, Edward T. Morris ’13, and Lauren Gaston have created the Sustainable Production Toolkit, a resource to help theaters transition to a more sustainable and equitable practice. The toolkit provides practical tips, tools, and resources for effective and equitable climate action in the performing arts. ● Phillip Peglow ’04, Project Design Manager at Sound Associates, Inc., has been working from home along with his wife, Dorota MUS ’04, and two sons, Nicholas and Sebastian. He recently finished the commissioning of Steinmetz Hall, Orlando’s final addition to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, where he collaborated with Richard Gold ’91 (Former Faculty) and Tom Clark (Former Faculty). He closed out 2021 continuing his sound design partnership, Broken Chord, with Daniel

Baker ’04, designing Cleveland Playhouse’s holiday spectacular, Light It Up!. ● Stefani Rose ’04 writes: “This marks my first year as Resident Director and Advanced Acting Teacher at the Norris Performing Arts Center in Temecula, CA. Our most recent production of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins filled the Old Town Temecula Theater with sold-out shows. On top of directing two musicals this year and being a full-time mom of four, I and my amazing husband, music producer Daniel Martin, co-wrote a Folk-Americana family album set to release in 2022. I live a very busy creative life, but I try to enjoy every moment I can with my family.” ● This year, Anne McPherson ’05 stepped into the head of stage management role at the Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University, where she is thrilled to be teaching in collaboration with Lee Savage ’05 (Former Faculty), Donald Holder ’86, and Catherine Tate Starmer ’06. ● Christopher Carter Sanderson ’05 spent much of the year working on a feature film of Hamlet as a follow-up to his ‘all close-up’ Macbeth which won Best Director at the Berlin Underground Film Festival and Best Film at the Liberty Film Festival in 2021. Like Macbeth, this new film is 50% owned by the creative personnel. Hamlet stars Canadian actor Henry Austin Shikongo in the title role and among the cast are British TV star Robin Ellis (BBC’s Poldark) as the Ghost of Old Hamlet. ● Ari Teplitz ’05 writes: “After many years of working with artists and arts organizations, my firm, Teplitz Financial Group, partnered with ArtsPool Financial Services Inc. to create a pooled retirement plan for more than 100 artists across 10 arts organizations.” ● Brad Ward ’05 is a senior associate at Auerbach Pollock Friedlander’s NYC studio where he designs sound and video systems for theaters, themed entertainment, and productions around the world. Brad is the curator for Sound Kitchen and World Stage Design 2022 in Calgary and will be leading a session on Spatial Sound at USITT 2022. Brad also serves on the education committee for TSDCA and is a vice

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42 40

45 40 Letters of Suresh by Rajiv Joseph, directed by May Adrales ’06 (Former Faculty). Photo by Joan Marcus. 41 Arthur Nacht ’06, David B. Byrd ’06, and Emily Gresh ’06

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42 Courtney DiBello ’02 at OKC Ballet.

44 Brad Ward ’05 and Hillary Charnas ’05

43 The Taming of the Shrew at American Players Theatre, directed by Shana Cooper ’08.

45 Jenn Lindsay ’07 and her new book. 46 Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, adapted for the stage by L M Feldman ’08.

Alumni Notes

47 & 48 Stefani Rose ’04 and husband Daniel Martin and their four children. Photos by Beau Austin.

50 Dressing the Resistance by Camile Benda ’02. Photo courtesy of Princeton Architectural Press.

49 Phillip Owen ’09. Photo by Rick Patrick.

51 Joseph Cermatori ’08 with his book, Baroque Modernity.

52 Eric Bryant ’09 in Doubt at Westport Country Playhouse. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

53 (clockwise from left) Jon Reed ’07 (Faculty), Chris Brown ’10, John Carlin ’19, Bryanna Kim ’16, Erich Bolton ’11 (Former Faculty), Nicola Rossini ’07, Amanda Haley ’10, and Steve Henson ’11

commissioner for USITT. ● May Adrales ’06 (Former Faculty) directed the word premiere of Letters of Suresh by Rajiv Joseph at Second Stage Theater, featuring Ali Ahn YC ’99, lights by Jiyoun “Jiji” Chang ’08, sound design and original composition by Charles Coes ’09 and Nathan Roberts ’10, and scenery by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams ’02 (Faculty). ● David B. Byrd ’06 reunited with his TM06 classmates Arthur Nacht ’06 and Emily Gresh ’06 in Portland, CT, at a housewarming for David and his husband, Jeff Stanley. ● Nelson T. Eusebio III ’07 writes: “I left NYC after almost a decade of freelancing to become the new associate artistic director at Kansas City Repertory Theatre. My wife, Eileen, had a serious health scare but came out okay! We are both looking forward to starting out next chapter in the Midwest!” ● Jenn Lindsay ’07 is busy as a professor of sociology and communications at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy, where she recently published Pluralismo Vivo, a book about cooperation between diverse ethnic and religious communities. She is also the co-founder and producer-director of So Fare Films (sofarefilms.com). Jenn is busy prepping the release of her new documentary, Simulating Religious Violence. If you’re in Rome, let her know and she’ll buy you the cappuccino of your life! ● While Jon Reed ’07 (Faculty) was on leave for the fall 2021 semester, he traveled to Orlando to visit the workplaces of fellow alumni. While there, he hosted a gathering for the TD&P and Stage Management folx in the area. ● Joseph Cermatori ’08 has been teaching drama, theater, and performance studies in the English department at Skidmore College since 2016. In November 2021, he published his first book, entitled Baroque Modernity: An Aesthetics of Theater, with Johns Hopkins University Press. It won the American Comparative Literature Association’s Helen Tartar First Book Award. ● Shana Cooper ’08 directed The Taming of the Shrew at American Players Theatre. “We adapted the text to a five-person clown show about the dangers and absurdity of the patriarchy with the revolutionary spirits

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54 Jessica Holt’s ’15 virtual production of Ironbound by Martyna Majok ’12 at A.C.T.

55 Set for Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses at the Williston Theater, directed by Jorge J. Rodriguez ’10, DFA ’13. 56 Joel Abbott ’14 on his wedding day.

55 58

57 Maura Grace Athari ’15 and her husband, Aristotle Athari, on their wedding day. Photo by Daryl A. Getman. 58 Jack Moran ’13 and Kate Moran with daughter, Maya. Photo by Josiah Bania ’13. 59 Walter Sutcliffe and Louisa Proske ’12 on the Oper Halle roof.

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Alumni Notes of Kate and Petruchio at the center of it, struggling to find a new way of living and loving in the world.” ● L M Feldman’s ’08 stage adaptation of Margarita Engle’s book Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba had its world premiere this November 2021 at the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, commissioned through the theater’s program ‘The Kindness Project.’ L M said she “loved the challenge of using theater, poetry, and dynamism to truthfully share scary, heavy, complicated material for child audiences.” ● Drew Lichtenberg ’08, DFA ’18 (Faculty) writes: “I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my first book, The Piscatorbühne Century. The majority of the research for the book was generated by work done in archives in Berlin and America in order to complete my DFA in 2018, and I consider it a labor of love and tribute to everything I learned at the Drama School. I’m equally thrilled to be returning to campus in New Haven in the spring of 2022 to serve as a lecturer in theater history for Drama 6. I will be filling in for Paul Walsh (Faculty), who will be on leave, and who has always been supportive and encouraging of my work. I recently celebrated my 10-year anniversary as resident dramaturg at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC.” ● In November 2021, Eric Bryant ’09 appeared as Father Flynn in Doubt at Westport Country Playhouse. ● Phillip Owen ’09 writes: “This fall, I will join the faculty in the Department of Theatre & Dance at the University of Texas at Austin as a lecturer in sound design, after being at Texas State University for seven years. I look forward to a new chapter and will call on my experience and peers at DGSD for knowledge, compassion, good cheer, and grace. Hook ’em, Horns!”

2010s Walter Byongsok Chon ’10, DFA ’20 received tenure and was promoted to associate professor of dramaturgy and theatre studies at Ithaca College. ● Christopher Mirto ’10 writes: “My husband Kevin and I legalized the adoption

of our son Lysander Neal. As part of the New Opera Commissioning Program I launched at Oberlin Conservatory, we had our first in-person piano-vocal workshop with the composer, librettist, and opera students. We’ll premiere Alice Tierney, an archaeology opera by Melissa Dunphy and Jacqueline Goldfinger with dramaturg Julia Bumke, in January 2023.” ● Jorge J. Rodriguez ’10, DFA ’13 has joined the Williston Northampton School, a private school in Easthampton, MA, as the director of the Williston Theater. “We started the season with a production of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses. Our season is rounded out by the musical Mamma Mia! in the winter and Shakespeare’s The Tempest in the spring. I am directing all three productions.” ● After eight years at Washington College in Maryland, Laura J. Eckelman ’11 has moved back to Massachusetts for a new position at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She’s delighted to be closer to her family and is enjoying developing new curriculum for WPI’s “wonderfully nerdy and creative students.” Laura serves as a focus group representative for Design, Technology, and Management in the Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) and as co-coordinator of USITT’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Education. ● Alexandra Henrikson ’11 writes: “In the darkest days of the pandemic, Joby Earle ’10 and Austin Durant ’10 were visited by a ghost-light of an idea leading them on an adventure like no other: get a bunch of funny buddies together and play Dungeons and Dragons live on Twitch and YouTube. And so, The Familiars was born, a weekly live-stream, one-of-a-kind, fully improvised, utterly spectacular long-form adventure using DnD as their source material.” The Familiars is also launching a podcast! Henrikson joins Earle and Durant along with John Doherty ’10, Ben Horner ’11, and Annelise Lawson ’16. They also invite other alumni as guest stars, including Zach Appleman ’10 and Brett Dalton ’11. ● Kirsten Parker ’11 writes: “Coaching high achievers on mindset direction and stress regulation may not be what I got my degree in, but

my stage management training was (unsurprisingly) invaluable for the business I ultimately built outside of theater. I now run the Decision Masters Program, where people learn to use their time well, to advance their most important goals, and become as centered, focused, and self-celebratory as they want. It’s great fun, and I’m forever grateful for my Yale memories as I continue connecting with the broader alumni network!” ● Louisa Proske ’12 bade goodbye to Heartbeat Opera, the company she co-founded and led with Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07 (Faculty) for eight years. Louisa directed the first major indoor opera production on the East Coast since the shutdown began—King Arthur at Bard SummerScape, with over 70 performers onstage and over 75 in the pit. It featured sets by Matt Saunders ’12. In August, Louisa began her new post as Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director at Oper Halle, Germany. She also directed a workshop production of The Extinctionist at Performance Spaces for the 21st Century, a world premiere opera composed by Daniel Schlosberg MUS ’18, YC ’10 and music directed by Jacob Ashworth MUS ’18. ● JT Timms ’12 previously worked as a freelance sound designer and theater technician for many different theater and production companies in Boston including the Huntington Theatre Company. They recently transitioned into a new career as a social worker, graduating with a master’s in social work from Boston College in May 2021. JT is now a licensed LCSW and works as a therapist full time at Mass General Brigham-Salem Hospital. ● Nicole Marconi ’13 has transitioned to a second career as a librarian. Nicole graduated this past May with her MSLIS from Pratt Institute’s School of Information. She is currently working as Head of Circulation/ Access Services Manager at the Hoboken Public Library. ● Jack Moran ’13 and Kate Moran welcomed their daughter, Maya, into the world in September 2020. ● During the lockdown, Joel Abbott ’14, spent his time playing with his dogs and practicing jazz guitar. He also got married. ● Whitney Dibo ’14 is the Vice President of Film and

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Alumni Notes

69 70

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Alumni Notes 60 A still from The Familiars livestream (from left, top row) Joby Earle ’10, Alexandra Henrikson ’11, Austin Durant ’10, and Zach Appelman ’10. (bottom row) Ben Horner ’11, Annelise Lawson ’16, and John Doherty ’10. 61 Alix Reynolds ’17 and Becca Terpenning ’18 on their wedding day. Photo by Molly Hennighausen ’15. 62 Kirsten Parker ’11 63 Kelly Kerwin ’15. Photo by Edward T. Morris ’13. 64 JT Timms ’12 65 Nicole Marconi ’13 at her graduation from the Pratt Institute’s MSLIS program. 66 Shannon Dillon (Gaughf) ’15 with husband, Ross, on their wedding day. 67 Shane D. Hudson ’14 with his pug, Daisy Mae. 68 Brittany Bland ’19 and Genne Murphy ’18 were married in 2021. Photo credit by Majkin Holmquist ’18. 69 Melissa Dunphy, Jacqueline Goldfinger, Christopher Mirto ’10, and Julia Bumke. 70 Carl Holvick ’21, SOM ’21 and his child, DGSD Class of 2042.

Television for Anonymous Content Studios, where she’s lucky enough to produce a host of stage and screen adaptations and work with many beloved playwright pals on their TV/film projects. She and her husband, Josh, an architect with a focus on designing performance spaces, live in Brooklyn with their daughter, Zadie, who just turned two years old in January. ● Shane D. Hudson ’14 is the Executive Director of Primary Stages, an OffBroadway theater company. He currently lives in New York and Malmö, Sweden, with his husband, Mikkel Brøgger, and their four pugs—Dolly, Daisy, Donna, and Didi. Shane is also active in Democratic Party politics and is an elected member of the Kings County Democrats. He is working hard to bring live, in-person theater back to NYC. ● Shannon Dillon (Gaughf) ’15 married Ross Dillon on July 24 in her parents’ backyard in their hometown of Monterey, CA. She and Ross met and work at Santa Catalina School. Shannon used her stage management skills to plan her own wedding in less than a year! ● Jessica Holt ’15 writes: “I’m very grateful to have continued practicing the craft while also innovating in new forms with the MFA students at A.C.T. Conservatory where I directed both the 2020 and 2021 MFA showcases, re-envisioning them as series of short films shot from home under my remote direction. I also directed a virtual production of Ironbound by Martyna Majok ’12 at A.C.T. and created a Zoom piece called Something Delightful for Virginia Stage Company, reuniting with the cast of Sense & Sensibility, my last in-person show before the pandemic. I collaborated with playwright Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin on their play with music, Tiger Beat, at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in July 2021, and we are currently pitching it to theaters for the 2022-23 season.” ● Maura Hooper ’15 became Maura Grace Athari when she married Aristotle Athari in September 2021. The couple met five years ago in an ice cream shop on Sunset Blvd. and tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at Maura’s home church in Los Angeles. The two are head over heels for their 100-lb mastiff and split

their time between L.A. and NYC, where Aristotle is a cast member on Saturday Night Live. ● After over four years as a producer at The Public Theater, Kelly Kerwin ’15 was appointed artistic director of Oklahoma City Repertory Theater. She is married to Edward T. Morris ’13, a set and projection designer. ● Stephanie Rolland ’15 was awarded the 2021 Stacey Mindich ‘Go Work in Theater’ Award by The Lillys. She also returned to the School of Drama to lead the Theater Management program’s “Toward an Anti-Racist Theater Practice” learning space for the 2021-22 academic year. ● Alix Reynolds ’17 and Becca Terpenning ’18 were married in October 2020. Their ceremony was officiated, live-streamed, photographed, (and attended!) by fellow alumni—among others. The reviews were all raves, and the production values were incomparable, as was to be expected. ● Genne Murphy ’18 and Brittany Bland ’19 were married in 2021.

2020s Perry Adago ’20 writes: “Back in NYC, at Brooklyn Mirage and Oxygen Eventworks. Glad to be back in the Big Apple and seeing everything opening up. Thank you to the Drama School for all I learned during my time there. I’m always looking for contacts with any fellow lighting alumni.” ● Dani Barlow ’20 is now the Foundation Director of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, the non-profit of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society in New York City. ● Carl Holvick ’21, SOM ’21 writes: “Graduated. Had a baby. Got a job. Making moves.”

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Alumni Notes David Geffen School of Drama at Yale Legacy Partners We invite you to join fellow alumni and friends who have included DGSD in their estate plans or made other planned gifts to the School. Through David Geffen School of Drama at Yale Legacy Partners, you can directly influence the future of Yale. You are eligible for membership if you have named DGSD as a beneficiary of your will, trust, life-income gifts, IRA or other retirement plan, life insurance policy, or other planned gift. To learn more about making a planned gift to David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, please contact Deborah S. Berman, Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, at (203) 432-2890 or deborah.berman@yale.edu.

2021–22 DGSD Legacy Partners Cynthia Kellogg Barrington*

James Gousseff ’56*

Mary B. Reynolds ’55*

Phyllis C. Warfel ’55*

Donald I. Cairns ’63

Albert R. Gurney ’58*

Mark Richard ’57*

William B. Warfel ’57, YC ’55*

Raymond Carver ’61

Robert L. Hurtgen*

Barbara Richter ’60*

Wendy Wasserstein ’76*

Elizabeth S. Clark ’41*

James Earl Jewell ’57*

William Rothwell, Jr. ’53*

Bill Conner ’79*

Joseph E. Kleno*

Forrest E. Sears ’58*

Elmon Webb ’64 and Virginia Webb ’65

David M. Conte ’72

Frances E. Kumin ’77

Eugene F. Shewmaker ’49*

Zelma H. Weisfeld ’56*

Converse Converse YC ’57

Richard G. Mason ’53*

Merrill L. Sindler ’57*

Edwin Wilson ’57, DFA ’58

Sue Anne Converse ’55*

H. Thomas Moore ’68

Kenneth J. Stein ’59

Albert J. Zuckerman ’61, DFA ’62

Nicholas Diggs*

Tad Mosel ’50*

G. Erwin Steward ’60

Richard Diggs ’30, YC ’26*

Arthur F. Nacht ’06

Edward Trach ’58

Charles Dillingham ’69, YC ’65

George E. Nichols III ’41, YC ’38*

Carol Waaser ’70

Eldon J. Elder ’58*

G.C. Niemeyer ’42*

Peter Entin ’71

Dwight Richard Odle ’66*

Elaine Wackerly ’03 and Patrick Wackerly*

Joseph Gantman ’53*

Joan Pape ’68*

Donald R. Ware YC ’71

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*Deceased

Donors F E BR UARY 1, 2021-APR IL 1, 2022

1940s

Joan Kron ’48 Eugene F. Shewmaker ’49*

1950s

Sami Casler ’59 Evans Frankenheimer ’57 Robert Goldsby ’53 Evelyn Huffman ’57 James Earl Jewell ’57* Amnon Kabatchnik ’57 Jay Keene ’55 Roger L. Kenvin ’59, DFA ’61 Marvin March ’55 David McNutt ’59 Ellen Moore ’52 Kendric T. Packer ’52 Gladys Powers ’57 Raymond Sader ’58 Merrill Sindler ’57* James Smith ’59 Kenneth Stein ’59 Edward Trach ’58

1960s

John Badham ’63, YC ’61 Warren F. Bass ’67 Carol Bretz Murray-Negron ’64 Oscar Brownstein ’60 Jim Burrows ’65 Mary-Jane Cassidy ’69 Sarah E. Clark ’67 Patricia S. Cochrane ’62 Edward Cornell ’68 Lewis A. Crickard ’63 F. Mitchell Dana ’67 Michael David ’68 Ramon L. Delgado ’67 Robert H. Einenkel ’69 David H. Epstein ’68 Jerry N. Evans ’62 John D. Ezell ’60 Ann Farris ’63 Richard A. Feleppa ’60 Hugh Fortmiller ’61 David Freeman ’68 Richard Fuhrman ’64 Bernard Galm ’63 Ronald A. Gural ’67 Ann Hanley ’61 Stephen J. Hendrickson ’67 Elizabeth Holloway ’66 Derek Hunt ’62

Laura Jackson ’68 John W. Jacobsen ’69, YC ’67 Robert W. Lawler ’67 Elizabeth Lewis ’61 Irene Lewis ’66 Fredric Lindauer ’66 Everett M. Lunning, Jr. ’69 Donald Michaelis ’69 Ruth Hunt Newman ’62 Janet Oetinger ’69 Richard Olson ’69 Michael Posnick ’69 Carolyn L. Ross ’69 Donald Sanders ’69 Georg Schreiber ’64 Talia Shire Schwartzman ’69 E. Gray Smith, Jr. ’65 James Steerman ’62, DFA ’69 John Wright Stevens ’66 G. Erwin Steward ’60 Douglas C. Taylor ’66 John Henry Thomas, III ’62 David F. Toser ’64 Russell L. Treyz ’65 Steven I. Waxler ’68 Ray Werner ’67 Peter White ’62 Albert Zuckerman ’61, DFA ’62

1970s

Sarah Albertson ’71, ART ’75 Donna Alexander ’74 Michael L. Annand ’75 Anne Averbuck ’70 Richard C. Beacham ’72, DFA ’73, YC ’68 John Lee Beatty ’73 Michael Cadden ’76, DFA ’79, YC ’71 Ian Calderon ’73 Victor P. Capecce ’75 Joseph Capone ’76 H. Lloyd Carbaugh ’78 William Conner ’79 David M. Conte ’72 Alma Cuervo ’76 Dennis L. Dorn ’72 Nancy Reeder El Bouhali ’70 Peter Entin ’71 Dirk Epperson ’74 Heidi Ettinger ’76 Marc Flanagan ’70 Lewis A. Folden ’77 Robert Gainer ’73 David Marshall Grant ’78 Stephen Grecco ’70

Michael E. Gross ’73 William B. Halbert ’70 Charlene Harrington ’74 Barbara B. Hauptman ’73 Jane C. Head ’79 Jennifer Hershey ’77 Nicholas A. Hormann ’73 Alan Kibbe ’73 Frances E. Kumin ’77 Mitchell L. Kurtz ’75 Rocco Landesman ’76 Stephen R. Lawson ’76 Charles E. Letts ’76 Martha Lidji Lazar ’77 George N. Lindsay, Jr. ’74 Jennifer K. Lindstrom ’72 Adrianne Lobel ’79 Robert Hamilton Long II ’76 Patrick Lynch ’71 Brian R. Mann ’79 Neil Mazzella ’78 John McAndrew ’72 Caroline A. McGee ’78 Stephen W. Mendillo ’71 Jonathan Miller ’75 Lawrence S. Mirkin ’72, YC ’69 Patricia C. Norcia ’78 Richard Ostreicher ’79 William Purves ’71 Jeff Rank ’79 Pam Rank ’78 Ralph Redpath ’75 William J. Reynolds ’77 Peter Roberts ’75 Steven Robman ’73 Howard J. Rogut ’71 Robert Rooy ’75 Robin Pearson Rose ’73 Mark Rosenthal ’76 John Rothman ’75 Robert Sandberg ’77 Suzanne Sato ’79 Michael Sheehan ’76 Benjamin Slotznick ’73, YC ’70 Jeremy T. Smith ’76 Jaroslaw Strzemien ’75 Nancy Thun ’78 Carol M. Waaser ’70 Carolyn Wiener ’70

1980s Michael G. Albano ’82 Amy Aquino ’86 William Armstrong ’80 Clayton Austin ’86 Dylan Baker ’85

Michael Baumgarten ’81 Mark Bly ’80 Sharon Braunstein ’82 Bill Buck ’84 Kate Burton ’82 Richard W. Butler ’88 Jon Carlson ’88 Lawrence Casey ’80 Joan Channick ’89 Nan Cibula-Jenkins ’83 Geoffrey Cohen ’83 Scott Cummings ’85, DFA ’94 Richard Davis ’83, DFA ’03 Terrence Dwyer ’88 Sasha Emerson ’84 Terry Fitzpatrick ’83 Anthony M. Forman ’83 Walter M. Frankenberger III ’88 Randy R. Fullerton ’82 James Gage ’80 Judy Gailen ’89 J. Ellen Gainor ’83 Carol A. Gibson-Prugh ’89 Charles F. Grammer ’86 Rob Greenberg ’89 Babo Harrison ’89 James W. Hazen ’83 Catherine Hazlehurst ’83 Kathleen Houle ’88 Charles R. Hughes ’83 David Henry Hwang ’83 Chris P. Jaehnig ’85 Carol Kaplan ’89 Bruce Katzman ’88 Edward Kaye ’86 David K. Kriebs ’82 Edward Lapine ’83 Kenneth Lewis ’86 Benjamin Lloyd ’88 Andi Lyons ’80 Wendy MacLeod ’87 Cathy MacNeil-Hollinger ’86 Peter Marshall ’89 Isabell Monk-O’Connor ’81 David E. Moore ’87 Patrick Murphy ’88 Thomas Neville ’86 Regina Neville ’88 Arthur E. Oliner ’86 Erik Onate ’89 Carol Ostrow ’80 Joumana Rizk ’87 Joan E. Robbins ’86, DFA ’91 Lori Robishaw ’88 Constance Romero ’88 Russ Rosensweig ’83 John Rubin ’80

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Donors F E BR UARY 1, 2021-APR IL 1, 2022

Cecilia M. Rubino ’82 Steven A. Saklad ’81 Kenneth Schlesinger ’84 Tony Shalhoub ’80 William P. Skipper ’83 Teresa Snider-Stein ’88 Mark Stevens ’89 Mark L. Sullivan ’83 Thomas Sullivan ’88 Jane Savitt Tennen ’80 Sarah L. Tucker ’89 Courtney B. Vance ’86 Jaylene Wallace ’86 Darryl S. Waskow ’86 Robert M. Wildman ’83 Steven A. Wolff ’81 Dianah Wynter ’84

Dw Phineas Perkins ’90 Lisa Porter ’95 Amy Povich ’92 Katherine Profetta ’99 Jean Randich ’94 Lance Reddick ’94 Mary Rose ’96 Jennifer Schwartz ’97 Paul Selfa ’92 Thomas W. Sellar ’97, DFA ’03 Jane M. Shaw ’98 Jeremy Shapira ’97 Susie Stevens ’96 David Sword ’90 Deborah L. Trout ’94 Erik Walstad ’95

2000s

1990s

Narda E. Alcorn ’95 Leslie Brauman ’91 James Bundy ’95 Katherine Burgueño ’90 Kathryn A. Calnan ’99 Robert Campbell ’90 Vincent Cardinal ’90 Juliette A. Carrillo ’91 Enrico L. Colantoni ’93 Robert C. Cotnoir ’94 Sean P. Cullen ’94 Michael Diamond ’90 Fran Egler ’95 Connie Evans ’93 Glen Fasman ’92 Naomi S. Grabel ’91 Connie Grappo ’95 Regina Guggenheim ’93 Susan Hamburger ’97 Alexander Hammond ’96 Scott Hansen ’99 Jeffrey C. Herrmann ’99 John C. Huntington ’90 Clark Jackson Jr. ’97 Suzanne Jackson ’90 Kristin Johnsen-Neshati ’92, DFA ’02 Elizabeth A. Kaiden ’96 Samuel Kelley ’90 L. Azan Kung ’91 Sarah Long ’92, YC ’85 Tien-Tsung Ma ’92 Maria Matasar-Padilla ’99 Richard Mone ’91 Kay Neale ’91 Anna Novden-Dolan ’94

Paola Allais Acree ’08, SOM ’08 Alexander Bagnall ’00 Pun Bandhu ’01 Sarah Bartlo-Chaplin ’04 Sarah Bierenbaum ’05 Ashley Bishop ’02 Frances Black ’09 Mattie Brickman ’09 Colin Buckhurst ’04 Jonathan Busky ’02, SOM ’02, YC ’94 David B. Byrd ’06 David Calica ’08 James Chen ’08 Bryan Terrell Clark ’06 Shoshana Cooper ’09 Derek DiGregorio ’07 Dustin Eshenroder ’07 Hannah Grannemann ’08, SOM ’08 Marion Grinwis ’04 John J. Hanlon ’04 Judith Hansen ’04 James Guerry Hood ’05 Rolin Jones ’04 Peter Young Hoon Kim ’04 O-Jin Kwon ’02 Drew Lichtenberg ’08 Elena Maltese ’03 Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 Beth Morrison ’05 David Muse ’03, YC ’96 Erica O’Brien ’09 Barret O’Brien ’09 Adam O’Byrne ’04, YC ’01 Phillip Owen ’09 Gamal Palmer ’08 Michael Parrella ’00

Jonathan Reed ’07 Kevin Rich ’04 Brian Robinson ’00 Rebecca Rugg ’00 Sallie Dorsett Sanders ’02 Christopher Sanderson ’05 Shawn Senavinin ’06 V. Jane Suttell ’03 Sarah Treem ’05, YC ’02 Carrie Van Hallgren ’06 Arthur Vitello III ’05 Brad Ward ’05 Amanda Wallace Woods ’03

2010s

Shaminda Amarakoon ’12 Mamoudou Athie ’14 Michael Barker ’10, SOM ’10 Shawn E. Boyle ’15 Andrew Burnap ’16 Juliana Canfield ’17, YC ’14 Byongsok Chon ’10 Brett Dalton ’11 Laura J. Eckelman ’11 Anne Erbe ’11 Hugh Farrell ’15 Adam Frank ’18, SOM ’18 Shannon Gaughf ’15 Christopher Geary ’15 Eric Gershman ’15, SOM ’15 Latiana “LT” Gourzong ’19 Ethan Heard ’13, YC ’07 Al Heartley ’18 Armando Huipe ’19 Martha Jurczak ’11 Tara Kayton ’11 Chiara Klein ’17, SOM ’17 Steven Koernig ’17 Bona Lee ’11 Katie Liberman ’13, SOM ’13 Annie Middleton ’16 Josef Moro ’15 Leora Morris ’16 Jason Najjoum ’18, SOM ’18 Jennifer Harrison Newman ’11 Thomas Pecinka ’15 Jonathan Pellow ’13 Lisa D. Richardson ’19 Nathan Roberts ’10 Melissa Rose ’18 Erik Sunderman ’10 Katherine Touart ’18

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Sophie von Haselberg ’14, YC ’08 Sarah Williams ’15

2020

Sarah Ashley Cain ’22 Samanta Y. Cubias ’23 Carl J. Holvick ’21 Oakton Reynolds ’21 Bryn Scharenberg ’23 Matthew J. Sonnenfeld ’23 Yaro Yarashevich ’20

friends of dgsd and yrt (Gifts of $500 and above)

Actors’ Equity Foundation Nina Adams GRD ’69, NUR ’77 and Moreson Kaplan Americana Arts Foundation Anonymous Rudy Aragon LAW ’79 Alice GRD ’72, Ph.D.’74 and Richard Baxter GRD ’72 Edward L. Barlow YC ’56, LAW ’64 John Beinecke YC ’69 Sonja Berggren and Patrick Seaver YC ’72 Santino Blumetti SOM ’99 Carmine Boccuzzi YC ’90, LAW ’94 and Bernard Lumpkin YC ’91 Lynne and Roger Bolton James Bridgeman GRD ’69 Cyndi Brown Estate of James T. Brown, Jr.* Anne and Guido Calabresi YC ’53, LAW ’58, HON ’62 Lois Chiles Janet Ciriello Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Audrey Conrad Bob and Priscilla Dannies HON ’90 Wendy Davies Educational Foundation of America Robert Dealy YC ’70 Aziz Dehkan and Barbara Moss Scott Delman YC ’82 Estate of Nicholas Diggs* Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation Lily Fan YC ’01, LAW ’04 Barbara and Richard Franke YC ’53, HON ’87, HON ’01

Donors F E BR UARY 1, 2021-APR IL 1, 2022

The Burry Fredrik Foundation Anita Pamintuan Fusco YC ’90 and Dino Fusco YC ’88 David Geffen Foundation Howard Gilman Foundation Mabel Burchard Fischer Grant Foundation The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Jerome L. Greene Foundation Claudia and Dr. Eduardo Groisman MAH ’11 Andrew D. Hamingson and Sarah A. McLellan F. Lane Heard III YC ’73, LAW ’78 and Margaret Bauer ’86, ART ’91 Mark Hollinger LAW ’85 Sally Horchow YC ’92 Betsy and Reed Hundt YC ’69, LAW ’74 Peter Hunt Ellen Iseman YC ’76 In memory of Marjorie Frankenthaler Iseman Jana Foundation David G. Johnson YC ’78 Pamela Jordan Ann Judd and Bennett Pudlin LAW ’78 Helen Kauder and Barry Nalebuff HON ’89 Dr. Harvey Kliman and Sandra Stein Susan and Sanford Knight Richard Lalli MUS ’80, DMA ’86 and Michael Rigsby MED ’88 The Ethel and Abe Lapides Foundation Maryanne Lavan Lucille Lortel Foundation Cheryl MacLachlan and Fred Gorelick Victoria B. Mars YC ’78 Drew McCoy Roz Milstein Meyer YC ’71, GRD ’73, GRD ’77 and Jerry Meyer MED ’72 David and Leni Moore Family Foundation Janice Muirhead James Munson YC ’66 Jim and Eileen Mydosh National Endowment for the Arts NewAlliance Foundation Eric Nold and Ramond Curtis Barbara and William Nordhaus YC ’63, MAH ’73 F. Richard Pappas YC ’76

Point Harbor Fund of the Maine Community Foundation Kathy and George Priest YC ’69, HON ’82 The Prospect Hill Foundation Alec Purves YC ’58, ARC ’65 Sharon Reynolds Douglas and Terri Robinson Abigail Roth YC ’90, LAW ’94 and R. Lee Stump Ruth Hein Schmitt* Tracy Chutorian Semler YC ’86 The Sir Peter Shaffer Charitable Foundation The Shubert Foundation, Inc. The Carol Sirot Foundation Ken Sonnenfeld and Peg Brivanlou Shepard and Marlene Stone Matthew Suttor Estate of William Swan* Stephen Timbers YC ’66 Andrew and Nesrin Tisdale Trust for Mutual Understanding Esme Usdan YC ’77 Sylvia Van Sinderen and James Sinclair Paul Walsh Donald R. Ware YC ’71 Shana C. Waterman YC ’94, LAW ’99 Vera F. Wells YC ’71 Walton Wilson * Deceased

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ANNUAL MAGAZINE DAVID GEFFEN SCHOOL OF DRAMA AT YALE P.O. BOX 208244 NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06520

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEW HAVEN, CT PERMIT NO. 167

David Geffen School of Drama 2021-22 Alumni Magazine

Articles inside

Art of Giving

Donors

In Memoriam

Bookshelf

Awards & Honors